Dallas makes perfect start for Amo over jumps Dallas Star lasted home in the opening BAR 1 Maiden Hurdle at Navan this afternoon to give Amo Racing a winner with their first runner over jumps. The smart Flat stayer was also their first runner with trainer Emmet Mullins after his recent link up with the Kia Joorabchian-headed operation. Dallas Star, runner-up to star stayer Scandinavia in Listed company back in April, went to post 15/8 favourite on his hurdling debut. Donagh Meyler tracked front-runner Minella Post on the market leader before moving up to challenge at the second last. He drove his mount into the lead on the long run to the bypassed last flight and the five-year-old kept on gamely late on to hold the challenge of En Or by half-a-length. Mullins said: "I've just had a quick call with Kia on the phone, and he is over the moon. He says he can't believe his first jumps runner is a winner. I said, 'we will start as we mean to go on!'. It is great. "We have only had him a few weeks and, to be fair, all we have done is just school him and he loves it. He enjoys his jumping. "It was a big ask for him to change stables, and change codes as well, and get his head in front so quickly. "He's a lovely, tough horse and he has probably been having a hard enough time of it in the high grades on the Flat. I would imagine getting his head in front won't do him any harm. It is great to start off on the right note. "I only just have him, but I'd be fairly sure the plan will be to stay over hurdles and get a good novice hurdle season out of him. “Next summer, he is a horse that will definitely be more than capable of switching codes. He has won his maiden, so he's only got the novice bracket for this season. I'd say we will try and get as much as we can out of that. "We have no time set in stone (over new premises) so, for the time being, we will concentrate on what we have got in Closutton first and I'm sure when the times comes, we will hopefully consolidate everything up there." When asked about another AMO recruit, Square Necker, he replied: "He might take in a Flat run, but he has changed stables to go hurdling as well. "He does have some nice entries (on the Flat) but, I can teach him how to jump, I'm not sure how much I can improve him (on Flat) in such a short space of time for those races. "That's up in the air, we will see how his schooling goes. He was a week or two behind Dallas Star and, to be fair, he (Dallas Star) was just a natural from the word go. He enjoys his jumping and it’s great to get him off the mark." Paddy Power made the winner a 66/1 shot for the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle at Cheltenham. (Quotes by Michael Graham)
