Sheltering boosts Foxhunter prospects

Sheltering and Heezapistol booked their passages to the Cheltenham Festival when winning at Punchestown this afternoon on ground that rode quite testing.

Successful in a recent point-to-point Sheltering had no difficulty in justifying odds on favouritism in the Doherty Hunters Chase in the hands of the champion amateur Philip Fenton.

The 1-3 favourite had a bloodless victory by a distance in a race in which only four of the ten starters completed and is now 3-1 favourite (from 7-2) with Cashmans of Cork for the Christies` Foxhunter Chase at Cheltenham.

'I am delighted with that run as he wouldn`t like the ground as soft as that,' remarked winning trainer Edward O`Grady after watching the 10-year-old capture his 11th race on the course.

Heezapistol also jumped well when getting back on the winning trail in the Grade 3 Juvenile Hurdle in the hands of champion jockey Ruby Walsh.

In front soon after halfway, the French-bred 5-1 chance quickened from the second last to beat last months Leopardstown heroine Newhall by three and a half lengths as the hot favourite Hyderabad faded out of contention.

Heezapistol is a 20-1 chance for the JCB Triumph Hurdle at Cheltenham with both Cashmans and Ladbrokes and his trainer Willie Mullins confirmed that the horse would be rested until the Cheltenham race.

Ruby Walsh followed up half an hour later on An Modh Direach (5-1), trained by his father Ted in the Bourke Handicap Chase in a desperate finish.

Ted Walsh then made it a quick double of his own when the favourite Native Leisure (9-4) followed up a course and distance success earlier in the month with young Garry Hutchinson aboard in the Kilteel Handicap Hurdle.