McManus and Tyner combine to win Fairyhouse finale Owner J.P. McManus and trainer Robert Tyner had near-misses with big races in recent times, and at Fairyhouse today combined to land the concluding Christmas Party Jackpot Jingle 13th December Handicap Hurdle with Better Times Ahead (6/1). McManus’ high-profile ‘miss’ came with gallant Melbourne Cup runner-up Goodie Two Shoes at 4am this morning while Tyner had himself sent out Big Debates to finish second in his local Cork Grand National on Sunday. In today’s race, Better Times Ahead was held up in rear by Mark Walsh and having improved to challenge from the second-last, finished well to beat Kingkong Ciergues by 1.5 lengths. Walsh had earlier steered McManus’ Sticktotheprocess to win and following the team’s double, racing manager Frank Berry reported “Better Times Ahead is a grand old horse and loves that ground. He got a grand ride from Mark and stayed on well. He’s rated a bit lower over hurdles and he’ll tip away between both codes. He enjoys the ground and that’s the main thing. “It’s great to get a win out of him again.” Quotes from Gary Carson
