Barry O’Neill and David Christie combined to win the INHSC Supporting Point-to-Points Hunter Chase for the second year in succession.
Following the victory of Vaucelet 12 months earlier, the long-standing combination were represented by Ferns Lock and having been sent off as a 9/4 shot, he made every inch of the running.
Those positive tactics had been employed when the five-year-old Telescope gelding had run out an impressive 13-length winner at Loughbrickland late last month, and O’Neill was able to dictate a very steady tempo for much of the 2m 7f trip, before the pace of the race began to increase along the back straight on the final circuit.
With one of his leading rivals Er Dancer failing to jump with the required fluency, it was the favourite and recent Ballycrystal open runner-up It’s On The line that briefly got closest to the Ray Nicholas-owned five-year-old before Ferns Lock swiftly put the race to bed off the home bend.
By the second-last fence the race was over as a contest as Ferns Lock assumed control and he ultimately eased 12 lengths clear of the favourite at the line with a further three-and-a-quarter lengths back to Er Dancer in third.
“We always loved this horse, he came recommended from Peter Flood. David [Christie] was over at the Cheltenham festival sale and liked him when he saw him so he stepped up and bought him,” O’Neill said.
“He is a horse with a big engine and I am sure that he will be a force to be reckoned with in those hunter chases. It is still only the fourth run of his life and the second day that he ran there were only two runners so it was like a little school for him.
“He was very impressive the last day in his point-to-point and to be honest we would have been disappointed if he was beaten today. Peter [Flood] had always said to me that for such a big horse he was very clever to pop one.
“He has a massive engine and where it will take him time will tell.”
