No stopping Fountain House at Thurles

Image © Healy Racing

Fountain House secured his fourth win of the season as he turned the tables on the favourite Magic Sadler to win the Racing Again March 15th Maiden Hunter Chase at Thurles on Thursday.

The seven-year-old had eight lengths to find with Pat Doyle’s charge from when they finished second and fourth behind Milan Forth at Clonmel in mid-January, but the step back to 3m1f proved to be in his favourite as he triumphed by fourth lengths.

Sent off as the 3/1 second favourite, Eoin Mahon produced the Ian McCarthy-trained son of Lucky Speed to challenge at the third-last fence, and having raced alongside Magic Sadler to the home bend, once being asked to extend he soon went on to record a comfortable victory over Sonny Carey’s Asphalt Cowboy, a horse that had chased him home in Punchestown only 12 days earlier.

Gordon Elliott’s Last Round was a further 11 lengths back in third, whilst the favourite faded tamely in the home straight, and was ultimately pulled up before the final fence.

“He is a brilliant horse to have,” Mahon said. “He is a great jumper, but he did miss a few today, but it is his the first time ever in fairness.

“He is a horse of a lifetime. He is after winning a few point-to-points, he is simple, and in fairness, Ian has been very good to me in fairness, only for him, we would be in trouble I’d say.

“There is no better man to do them in fairness, he is brilliant to do them – great jumpers and good rides. It is nice to be associated with him.

“I thought two and a half on the inside around Clonmel was a bit sharp for him. Coming back to three miles on a bit of nicer ground, I fancied him, to be honest.”

“We have had some fun with him over the last number of months. We had him entered in the banks race in Lingstown on Sunday but here was our target after winning in Punchestown the last day – he is a cracking horse.

“We will enter him in both races at Punchestown, and we’ll see, we will freshen him up now and we will aim to go there. We will aim to enjoy it too, no matter what we go for.

“The slower ground and shorter trip didn’t help us in Clonmel but it is different when you step into the racecourse from between the flags, that little bit of experience, that is why I was keen to come here and get that bit of racecourse experience into him.

“He is a horse that we are going to enjoy over the next number of years as well. He actually qualified for the Foxhunters but we said we won’t step into that company when we don’t need to.”