Kylestyle and Andrew McNamara jump the final hurdle© Photo Healy Racing
Kylestyle looked the part in the two-mile maiden hurdle following his promising second to Western Boy at the Leopardstown Christmas meeting, and the 10/11 favourite certainly didn’t let his supporters down.
That form looked rock solid after the winner ran the highly-regarded Vautour close at Punchestown last Saturday, and Francis Flood’s charge scored in decisive fashion.
Andrew McNamara elected to send the Oscar gelding on approaching the straight, and he was in control when pinging the final flight.
The five-year-old stayed on well on the run-in to beat Daliyan by five and a half lengths, with Feel The Air just a nose away in third.
Gareth Malone lost his irons on Ontopoftheworld early in the straight but kept on to take fourth.
Francis Flood junior said, “You would expect him to do that after his Leopardstown run. We may target him at a Listed hurdle in Naas just before Cheltenham. He’s from a really good family and has a good method of jumping. We haven’t bullied him at home and we are giving him time to mature and find his feet.”
Andrew McNamara said, “Francis said to ride him straight forward as he’s the best horse in the race. He’s a nice horse and he jumped well.”
Additional reporting by Thomas Weekes
