The Yellow Clay claims Grade One success in fine style

The Yellow Clay extended his unbeaten record for the season to four with a facile victory in the Lawlor’s of Naas Novice Hurdle.

A high-class bumper performer last season, Gordon Elliott’s six-year-old made a smart start to his career over hurdles at Down Royal before landing Grade Three and Grade Two prizes at Navan.

He was an 11-4 shot to successfully graduate to Grade One level in the hands of Sam Ewing and ultimately did so with relative ease.

With fellow Elliott runner Wingmen deployed in a pacesetting role, The Yellow Clay raced in third for much of the two-and-a-half-mile contest before joining his stablemate at the top of the home straight.

The Yellow Clay was travelling much the best jumping the second flight from the finish and soon kicked clear, safely negotiating the last before galloping up the run-in to seal an eight-length verdict.

Supersundae emerged best of four runners for Willie Mullins, making late gains to beat Wingmen to the runner-up spot.

The disappointment of the race was last season’s Champion Bumper hero Jasmin De Vaux, who beat two subsequent Leopardstown winners despite jumping poorly on his hurdling debut at Navan a month ago, but could not get away with it in this company and finished a well beaten fourth as the 11-8 favourite.

Of the winner, Elliott said: “He just knows how to win and is improving the whole time. I was very worried about the ground and was undecided about running him but I rang Noel (Moran, owner), who is in Turkey, and he gave me the green light.

“They went a good gallop all the way and Wingmen ran a good race as well.

“I’d imagine he (The Yellow Clay) will go straight to Cheltenham now. I loved the way he travelled today and if anything, he probably got there plenty soon. Sam said he hated the ground.

“The race in Navan, where he was a bit behind the bridle, probably helped to wake him up.”

Paddy Power make The Yellow Clay a 7-1 shot from 20-1 for the Turners Novices’ Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival in March, while he is 8-1 from 12-1 with the same firm for the Albert Bartlett.