Image © Healy Racing
Bugs Moran put himself into the picture for some of next season’s big prizes within the hunter chase division as he won the Beasley Engineering Hunter Chase at Listowel on Monday.
Bugs Moran put himself into the picture for some of next season’s big prizes within the hunter chase division as he won the Beasley Engineering Hunter Chase at Listowel on Monday.
An open winner at Dromahane on his stable debut in mid-April, the eight-year-old had form with a number of his rivals to overturn having chased home Lisleigh Lad in Mallow, and finished fifth at Killarney most recently Bartlemy Boy and Dundaniel.
However, Michael Kenneally set out his intentions from an early juncture aboard the 100/30 shot, as the Pour Moi gelding made much of the running in a change of tactics to his latest Killarney effort when he had been ridden more conservatively.
Those positive tactics brought about an improved round of jumping, an area that the favourite Bartlemy Boy was found out, as that seven-year-old was outjumped at a number of obstacles.
That allowed Bugs Moran to open up off the home bend, and in the end he was able to return nine lengths clear of Barlemy Boy, with the former Munster National winner Ontheropes a further two and three-quarter lengths back in third having never travelled with any great fluency.
“He came to me to be qualified for the Foxhunters to be quite honest, and it just didn’t happen, the time ran out on us,” winning trainer Eugene O’Sullivan said.
“He hadn’t enough experience jumping for Mallow and Killarney and he put that together today, he was exceptionally good there today. It’s just experience.
“The reason Alan [O’Sullivan, nephew] didn’t ride him is because he thought his jumping wasn’t good enough.
“It is very hard to get a horse good enough to go to the Foxhunters, but this horse has the quality to go there. He is a 134-rated hurdler, a 118-rated horse won it this year, and usually it is around the 130’s, 140’s.
“This horse if he was still under rules would be a 140-horse and we will discuss it with the lads and see if we can get him there next year.”
The victory signed off on a great season for Dungourney rider Michael Kenneally, and he was impressed with the performance:
“We knew once he jumped around that he is a very good horse, he is a quality horse off his mark over hurdles,” he said.
“We knew he was the class horse of the race, he just needed to put it together and today he did.”
