Big Zeb makes winning start in Fortria Chase at Navan
Big Zeb has been known to punctuate his races with mistakes, some of which have brought him to a full stop.
But when he gets it right he is one of the best two-mile chasers around, as he proved when he won the Queen Mother Champion Chase at the Cheltenham Festival, and it was that Big Zeb who won on his first run of the season in the Grade Two Friends of Navan Fortria Chase.
Big Zeb was rated between eight and 26lbs better than any of his three rivals on official handicap figures and Barry Geraghty was content to sit at the back of the quarter as Carthalawn set the gallop. By halfway, Big Zeb was up in second and Geraghty never seemed to have any anxiety waiting until he had jumped the last before tackling Carthalawn to win by one-and-a-quarter lengths with Golden Silver catching Carthalawn for second on the run-in.
Big Zeb’s trainer, Colm Murphy, looked more relieved than happy after the race, which his horse was winning for the second season in succession.“I was a bit worried coming here on heavy ground again,” Murphy admitted. “Ideally we don’t want to do it – but nice in the manner in which he done it. Hopefully it won’t have took too much out of him.
“He seems more settled this year and Barry’s said, the couple of times that he’s sat on him, that he is a different horse to last year. Mentally he seems to be more mature, more laid-back and he’s relaxing a bit in his races. All the little pieces are starting to fall into place.
“We haven’t done a lot with him so I’d expect him to come on a lot. And we’re not going to do a lot – he seems better fresh. We’ll keep him ticking over and we’ll go for the Dial-A-Bet at Leopardstown [at Christmas].”
John Hanlon's Hidden Cyclone maintained his unbeaten record with a six-length win in the Grade Three "For Auction" Novice Hurdle. Andrew McNamara took the lead with three to jump and the result was never really in doubt although the trainer said: “His jumping is just that little bit slow still. Andrew says when they go quicker, he’ll be better. He’s a horse that wants two-and-a-half or three miles with fences in front of him.”
The hurdles were proving enough of a problem for Noel Meade's horses. Prima Vista came down at the third in this race and Aitmatov feel at the last when leading in the Grade Two Lismullen Hurdle, which was won by Oscar Dan Dan.
Both of them were ridden by Davy Condon, who had stepped in after Meade's stable jockey, Paul Carberry, had been injured when brought down on Jetson in the opening maiden hurdle. Carberry was taken to hospital but appears to have suffered nothing worse than severe bruising.
Ruby Walsh was not so fortunate after his fall at Down Royal on Saturday and underwent surgery on a double fracture to his right leg at the Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast. The jockey, who only returned to riding in August after fracturing his arm in three places in at Aintree in April, will be out of action for some time, leaving Paul Nicholls to find a replacement for his stable stars.
Top of that list will be Kauto Star who could run in the Hennessy Gold Cup at Newbury at the end of the month before he attempts a record-breaking fifth victory in the King George VI Chase at Kempton Park on Boxing Day.
Tony McCoy is a likely candidate while Pat Smullen has emerged as the name at the centre of a surprising rumour that has developed. One bookmaker claims that clients have wanted to bet on who will be the next stable jockey at Aidan O’Brien’s Ballydoyle stable.
There have been no inklings of a rift between O’Brien and current incumbent, Johnny Murtagh.
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