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Cheltenham plan for Conyers Hill

Conyers Hill (left)Conyers Hill (left)
© Photo Healy Racing

Sean O’Keeffe followed up Sunday’s Kinloch Brae Chase success with a win for enthusiastic owners at Down Royal today, on trainer Paul Nolan’s Conyers Hill in Down Royal’s Irish Stallion Farms EBF Rated Novice Chase.

O’Keeffe, who steered the Willie Mullins-trained Appreciate It to Grade 2 glory at Thurles on Sunday, produced Conyers Hill from off the pace to challenge on the inside in the home straight, with the pair scoring by a neck from One Last Tango

The Wexford-based Buzzer Syndicate were in good spirits following the race, with Nolan reporting "I think it took two buses to bring them and the lads might want to go to Cheltenham now! He'll head on for the novice handicap chase.

“It was some ride from Sean, as he is a hold-up horse who tends not to find much off the bridle.”

He added “his last win was off 112 over hurdles and then he finished second in some €100,000 handicaps but I thought he had a tough enough chase rating. That's the sort of horse he is, as he’d run well in a good race and only do what he has to do in a bad race.

"Sean said it was suiting him that the two fences in the home straight were omitted (due to low sun) because he wasn't having a cut at his fences: he had a cut at a few of them but was sticky enough. One Last Tango headed him and I thought it was all over, but he just battled on. It was good that he won.”

Quotes from Michael Graham

About Tom Weekes
A lifelong racing fan, Tom began writing point to point reports in 2002 and has reported for irishracing.com since 2003, when he joined Irish Racing Services - since taken over by the Press Association. Has ridden a point to point winner and won the 2018 Irish Field Naps Table.