The dangling carrot of free admission on the opening session of the year at Tipperary last evening proved somewhat successful with a crowd of ' over 5,000 people' turning up for the mixed programme.
Waterford trainer Pat Flynn opened his seasonal account on the level when
Thepointaboutitis, supported at 10-1 in several betting offices before racing, swept to the front under Danny Grant at the furlong pole to easily scoop the Gowla Handicap over a mile and one.
'The boys backed him this morning,' remarked Flynn, referring to the Limerick based Newtown Mahon Syndicate whose colours were carried to victory aboard the six length winner. 'He's a nice horse and is in again at Gowran next Wednesday,' Flynn concluded.
The race was delayed for six minutes when four of the fourteen starting stalls failed to open resulting in a false start. The contest was eventually started by flag.
Paul Carberry showed his marvellous horsemanship yet again when he partnered odds-on chance Dante's Battle to victory in the Novice Chase.
Noel Meade's charge which changed hands on Wednesday to run in the colours of Mairead Cahill, wife of Dublin solicitor Finbar, clobbered the first two obstacles and later needed all of Carberry's tremendous determination to gain the initiative over Sparkey Smith at the last.
'Paul said he was slipping into his fences and lost his confidence early. He wants real fast ground and may run again at Cork next Friday,' said Meade of the 4-9 market leader.
Traditional, the horse that got Coolcullen trainer Jim Bolger off the mark for the current campaign at Clonmel last month, completed a quick hat-trick in the Gowla Handicap over a mile-and-a-half.
Sent off a very warm 4-7 chance, the three-year-old gelded son of Erins Isle needed the able assistance of Kevin Manning to shrug off the persistent challenge of Act Of Defiance inside the final furlong to justify favouritism.
Charlie Swan can do little wrong in recent weeks and after Colonel Bradley easily scored on his handicap debut in the two mile hurdle the Cloughjordan-based former champion rider saddled The King's Doctor (Karl Wyse) to dead-heat with Native New Yorker and Tim Hyde in the finale.
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