Le Moulin Rouge dances in at Wexford The market suggested that the Wexfordwalkingtrails.ie (C & G) Maiden Hurdle was something of a match and so it proved as evens favourite Le Moulin Rouge got the better of chief market rival Captains Speech. The pair had the race between them when drawing clear of their ten rivals from halfway in this 2m4f event and the Paul Nolan-trained Le Moulin Rouge, runner-up last time at the Leopardstown Christmas meeting, held a length advantage after two out. Eoin Staples’ mount kept on well on the run-in to beat 11/10 shot Captains Speech by three lengths with a yawning gap of 49 lengths back to Tinto De Verano in third. Nolan’s brother and assistant trainer James said, “He deserved that and had to do it the hard way. They went slow early and he was a bit keen, so Eoin just let him at it. "He is a great jumper and you don't know whether you're doing the right or wrong thing by letting him lose his novice status now, but we see him as a future chaser. "He is a lovely horse and there was no plan beyond today. We'll see what's for him. We might be restricted to going left-handed, as he prefers to go that way. "There might be a chance we'll leave him off now and come back next season to go novice chasing. That's what he was bought for." Quotes by Donal Murphy
