Gaelic Warrior's brother Sparkling Wit up and running All eyes were on Cheltenham Gold Cup winner Gaelic Warrior's full-brother Sparkling Wit as he stepped onto a racecourse for the first time for Willie Mullins in the bumper at Limerick, and he didn't let his backers down. The favourite was easy-to-back from odds-on out to 6/4 and was settled off the pace as Big Boy Dan soon moved well clear of the field. Those exertions told on the leader, though, as his margin was reduced three furlongs down and Sparkling Wit was one of the chasers in fourth straightening for home. The leader was swallowed up inside the final quarter of a mile and Patrick Mullins drove Sparkling Wit to the front racing to the final furlong. He was driven out to hold a keeping-on Muckanagh Lough (3/1) by half a length. Double Dare was the same distance back in third at 10/1. Jockey Mullins said: "We were very worried about the ground as he is not like his brothers (Gaelic Warrior and four-year-old Our Trigger) and I think he is a good-ground horse. He is a much more feminine type, is smaller and slighter but was tough in the end today. "I think he'll be much better on nicer ground and I'd be hoping he could go for a winners' bumper around May-time. I just think he is not a middle-of-winter horse. "He is very different from his two brothers and is a nice ride. I think he will improve as he started off very slowly at the start of the season and Willie has been very patient with him. He has got better every week. "We bought him as a foal, when we initially thought Gaelic Warrior was very good." Additional reporting by Tom Weekes
