Hackett wins Cork’s Grade 3 feature Trainer Liam Hackett attributed an equine taxi-run and B&B stay as the reasons for a career highlight today, as his Nowwhatdoyouthink (4/5f) landed Cork’s Grade 3 Bar 1 Betting Chase, under jockey Liam Quinlan. In the three-runner race, progressive Nowwhatdoyouthink tracked the Willie Mullins-trained leader Classic Getaway (13/8) and while he jumped exceptionally well, survived one blunder at the second-last-fence before scoring easily, with Broomfield Bijou pipping Classic Getaway for second-place. It was both Hackett and Quinlan’s biggest wins. Nenagh-based winning trainer Ray Hackett revealed “I ended up getting Nowwhatdoyouthink by default as I was doing a taxi-run one day with horses and this horse was due to stay in my place for a few nights of ‘B&B’, but ended up staying! “Following his point-to-points, he was initially sold by Sam Curling after his point-to-point and had joined another yard but was then a bit of a wanderer who found it hard to find a home. “I previously had Crackerdancer, who was a brilliant mare, win a Listed bumper but this is hard to believe.” Reflecting on today’s race, he added “it looked like it was all going so well until the second-last but he missed it and I panicked a little. Liam (Quinlan) said he was going too well so just tried to shorten him, as he had been in front in the past and been nabbed. I told him to follow the leader but he is so big that he is actually able to ‘hurdle’ his fences. “The one big worry we had was that we might have had to make the running but maybe he has grown up and could do that now. Classic Getaway (runner-up) had been there and done it whereas we were on an upward curve.” Regarding Quinlan, he concluded “Liam had moved on from a previous job a few years ago so came to me as he is local and I would be lost without him, as he comes in every morning. He knows this horse inside out and is also an unbelievable horseman. He is just gifted and I’m very lucky to have a lad of his ability with me.”
