Hurdling next up for Merrion Row Philip Rothwell is looking forward to running Merrion Row over hurdles in the coming weeks, after the son of Milan scored on his first start at the Galway Festival. The five-year-old son of Milan was pitched into a winners bumper on his debut at Ballybrit, but he justified his trainers bold decision to run him there by staying on strongly in the closing stages to score by half a length, beating six previous winners in the process. He didn’t go unsupported, and was returned at 20/1, after opening at 50/1 in a place in the morning. "He has come out of Galway really, really well", Rothwell said this afternoon. "He has schooled very well over hurdles and he'll have an easy season now and looks a chaser down the road. "It will be five or six weeks before he goes for his maiden hurdle and he is a super jumper. "I was elated that he won in Galway but I was expecting him to be in the first three, and if he hadn't I would have been disappointed. "There was considerable interest in him after Galway but I'm 90% sure he won't be sold. "His owner, Oliver Barden, loves his National Hunt racing and it's great that he has a good one."
