Mudlark Dmaniac bags ‘his Gold Cup’ at the Curragh Trainer Martin Hassett was out of luck with his first Cheltenham-festival runner on Wednesday, but his Dmaniac (7/2jf) today bagged his own ‘Gold Cup’ in landing the Curragh’s €35,000 Nua's Canine Therapy Handicap. Ridden by Wayne Lordan, the Rebecca May-owned mudlark raced prominently and having led over two furlongs out, stretched clear to score easily by 3.25 lengths from Unique Journey . Hassett, whose Moonverrin finished mid-division in Cheltenham’s bumper on Wednesday, stated “Dmaniac loves that ground, wants it pure bottomless and today was his Gold Cup, so we had to have him right. “I told Wayne not to come back in if he didn’t win! I couldn’t see him being beaten, as with the ground and the light weight, everything lined up. “There is a window with him on the soft ground and while I’d love to run him in the Scurry (Handicap), the ground will probably be too fast for him. He’ll run next week if there is something for him because it’ll dry up soon and he then could be off for four months. We had been praying for rain. “He’s been a pleasure to train, there has never been an ounce of trouble with him and you want those type of horses. Wayne also said we could go back to five (furlongs) on that ground.” Quotes from Gary Carson
