Champion Bumper hero Keane back to winning ways at the Curragh

Fresh from success at the Cheltenham Festival, Colin Keane wasted little time getting back to the more familiar territory of the Curragh winner’s enclosure with victory aboard Breaking Dawn.

The Juddmonte number one joined the likes Flat contemporary Jamie Spencer on the Champion Bumper roll of honour when guiding Noel Meade’s The Mourne Rambler to victory at Prestbury Park.

However, it was back to the day job on the opening day of the turf season on Sunday where the six-time Irish champion guided Michael O’Callaghan’s 2-1 favourite Breaking Dawn to a convincing two-and-a-half-length victory in the Nua CLaD Hub Irish EBF Maiden.

“It’s nice to get the first runner of the new season on the board,” said O’Callaghan.

“He’s a horse we liked last year, but he was just a bit weak and immature.

“Colin rode him on all his starts last year and said he felt a much stronger horse. He’s said he ground it out and he could go back up to seven furlongs after today.

“It’s nice to get it out of the way. When it’s a horse that you like, you like to see them step forward.

“It’s a good gauge for where the horses are at. Credit to the team at home, they’ve done a great job over the winter. It’s been a long winter and it’s nice to get the first one.”

Having shown useful ability in two outings at the back-end of last season before breaking his duck here at the third attempt, Breaking Dawn could now be set for a quick return to the track next weekend in the Madrid Handicap at Naas.

“We’ll go back to the drawing board now. We’ll see what the handicapper says, he could possibly run in the Madrid if he’s OK,” continued O’Callaghan.

“He’s fresh and well and we’ll see if he comes out of it OK. It can leave a mark on them so we’ll see during the week.”