Mustard too strong for Lismullen rivals

Lorna Fowler’s Colonel Mustard proved he was the toughest horse in the field as he took the rescheduled Railway Bar Lismullen Hurdle at Navan.

The popular chestnut was a 12-1 shot under John Shinnick for the Grade Two, as Gordon Elliott’s The Yellow Clay dominated the market as the 8-15 favourite.

The meeting was moved from Saturday after severe rain and with a fixture run on the track on Sunday the going was soft to heavy, conditions Colonel Mustard handled better than any other when prevailing by two and three-quarter lengths from the favourite.

“It is like buses, you wait four years and then two (wins) at once!” said Fowler of the gelding, who triumphed at Sligo in October after a long wait to get his head in front.

“He’s great. For whatever reason, he just comes back every year in great form. I don’t know what it is about this year, he’s just been in extra-special form!

“He has always run well, but maybe there is a little more to him this year. He has been minded well through the years.

“He did take some scalps and Johnny (Shinnick) said he had to keep him up to his work.

“He enjoys it and that’s the whole thing about it. He gets looked after like a king at home – he’s in a small yard, so he is the king of the castle. It really works for him.

“We’re so lucky to have him. We have had him since he was a foal, so the dream has been alive but he has delivered.

“He has nearly given his running on every single run and that is incredible for a horse to bring it to the table as much as he has. He’s the best, he is just fabulous.

“The plan is to go for the Long Walk Hurdle at Ascot. That was always the plan coming here and the idea was that if he could stay two and a half (miles) on heavy ground, then he should be able to stay three miles.”

I’ll Sort That claimed his third successive win this term when battling to a hard-fought victory in the Bar One Racing For Auction Novice Hurdle.

Declan Queally’s charge was the 6-4 favourite to strike at Grade Three level and showed real grit to get his head in front in a tight finish with Gordon Elliott’s Theflyingking.

Rider Declan Queally, son of the trainer, said: “He was good on the line.

“I know Theflyingking, we beat him in a Fairyhouse bumper (in January) before. When Sam (Ewing) was coming to me going to the last, I could see the white head, I was obviously a little bit worried but I wasn’t screaming that I was going to lose.

“He probably didn’t jump as well as he did in Galway, but I still got a lovely spin throughout. He missed the last a little bit, but he has some guts in fairness to him and that is a big thing in a horse – great heart as well.

“He’ll probably get an entry in Leopardstown in the Grade One on the second day (over Christmas), and he’ll get an entry in the Lawlor’s of Naas (Grade One, January). Either one of those will be his next race.”

Gordon Elliott’s Gunnery Sergeant was banned from running for 60 days with his rider Danny Gilligan being handed a 14-day suspension after finishing 11th of 22 in the Kilberry Pub & Kitchen Maiden Hurdle.

The 100-1 shot was beaten over 42 lengths by his winning stablemate Classical Creek, with the stewards ruling Gilligan had breached rules relating to making a “genuine attempt to obtain from the horse timely, real and substantial efforts to achieve the best possible place”.