Flemenstar thunders his way to victory in the Frank Ward Solicitors Arkle Novice Chase
Flemenstar took an impressive victory in the Frank Ward Solicitors Arkle Novice Chase at Leopardstown in Ireland on Sunday, January 29, 2012. This was the first time he took part in a grade one race.
The winning horse was given a starting price of 6 to 4 by the bookmakers, and he did not disappoint them. He got off to a decent start, and kept on pressing hard in the middle section of the race, which helped him take a commanding lead before the
finish line.
This was Flemenstar’s fourth ever chase, and he has been pretty much impressive in such events, winning three of them. There was only one occasion where he failed to end up on top, but still managed a second place in that event.
According to the triumphant horse’s trainer, Peter Casey, his horse likes running on soft tracks. This was probably why he took a comfortable victory at Leopardstown, where rain had softened the ground.
Casey further went onto say, “We're not going to Cheltenham. I'm so happy and glad the owner didn't sell him as we wouldn't be here otherwise. He needs soft ground. We'll maybe think of the Powers Gold Cup at Fairyhouse.”
Flemenstar’s closest competitor for yesterday’s race was Blackstairmountain, who had a starting price of 5 to 2. However, he was unable to make an impression and completed the chase in fifth out of seven entries.
The seven-year-old horse was unable to get off to a solid start, and continued struggling from then onwards. He was crowded after going into the chase, but kept on running with the same pace until the end.
This was Blackstairmountain’s first failure in chase events, as he had been successful in both the other races he took part in. His trainer, Willie Mullins, would have been disappointed with the result.
Mullins had a very good day at Leopardstown yesterday, as his trained horses, Hurricane Fly and Boston Bob, won their hurdle races. They were both favourites, and lived up to their reputation.
All the Mullins’ trained horses were partnered by Ruby Walsh at Leopardstown. The veteran jockey has enjoyed a lot of success in his career until now and aims to continue making a name for himself.
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