Promising winner, and new position revealed, for Mark Walsh Cork’s Co-Op Superstores 3-Y-O Maiden Hurdle, over an extended one mile, seven furlongs, was a fascinating race to watch as Mark Walsh delivered Atomic City from off the pace to make a winning start over jumps. A course maiden winner over an extended mile and a quarter in May, the Ghaiyyath gelding was last seen when down the field at Royal Ascot. Keen early on, the 4/5 favourite made good headway on the approach to the straight and moved into second two out. He challenged the Harry Cobden-partnered Step By Step at the last, where the latter blundered, and was pushed out to defeat that rival by half a length. Joseph O’Brien, on the mark in the first at Naas, trains the winner, and on his return to the enclosures, Walsh revealed that he would be riding first-choice to owners Sean and Bernardine Mulryan this season. “He had won the Flat here previously but, on his last run at Royal Ascot, was very keen," said Walsh (40). "Today, Joseph told me to walk him out in last, get him relaxed and that was the biggest thing. He was keen early on but they went a good gallop from after the third hurdle, and I got a great spin around. "He isn't a slow horse and made up ground very easily. I was just able to get a lead down to the last, so it worked out great. It probably wasn't a brilliant race, so that's the only thing." Additional reporting by Tom Weekes
