The Hurl

The Hurl put up a game performance to dig deep and get the better of Tharawaat in a two-and-a-half-mile novices’ chase at Gowran Park on Friday. Niall Madden had the son of Supreme Leader in front disputing the lead with Quadrillon for much of the way. His jumping was okay early on, but he made a few mistakes down the back straight on the final circuit where he was just getting in too tight to his fences. Even so, he was still in front turning for home, he was the first of the leading trio to come under pressure and he looked like a sitting duck as Tharawaat moved up stylishly on his outside, but he battled on really well for pressure and, having been just headed by Tharawaat on the run to the last, he responded gamely to grab the lead back jumping the last before staying on the better on the run-in.

This was a good novice chase on Thyestes day at Gowran Park and the form looks solid. The Hurl did well to win here given his mistakes down the back straight, and he was beating a useful type in Gordon Elliot’s Tharawaat, a good hurdler and winner on his previous run at Down Royal, with the pair of them 10 lengths clear of Quadrillon who was thought good enough to take his chance in the Grade 1 Fort Leney Novice Chase on his previous run.

The Hurl should be better over further. He is all stamina, and he has really good attitude to racing, in that he will always dig deep in his races. He was a Grade 2 winner over hurdles but he could be an even better chaser now. He did disappoint at Limerick on his previous run, but he was a good winner before that at Thurles and should continue to progress now. Heavy or soft ground will always play to his strengths, and he will be interesting now stepped back up to three miles.

28th January 2011