All-the-way-Westport wins for local owner Westport Cove (6/5f) picked a good day to end a long losing spell today, as the Willie Mullins-trained gelding landed Ballinrobe’s McHale Tiger Roll Beginners Chase for local businessman Cathal Hughes. Westport Cove carries the Mayo-colours of Westport businessman Cathal Hughes, with champion jockey Paul Townend today admitting to being merely ‘a passenger’ on the keen-goer, who made all to comfortably beat market-springer Itsalladream (morning 50/1, returned 8s). The seven-year-old’s previous success was in November 2023 and Townend commented “you’d be disappointed some days but it’s funny when you go back through his races, you’re thinking you’ve run into a couple of good horses every day and been unlucky. “He gathered valuable experience which he put it to use today and handled the ground nicely. We got away on the front-end, he jumps brilliantly and took his breathers when he needed them. “When he heard the others coming at the third-last, he latched on to the fence and a huge jump probably settled it. He has all the experience and he has the mark (of 140).” Today’s race was won in 2016 by dual-English Grand National-winner Tiger Roll. Quotes from Gary Carson
