Enterprise Park

Enterprise Park put up a fine performance to win the Grade 3 two-and-three-quarter-mile novices’ hurdle at Limerick on Monday. Weak in the market beforehand, the Willie Mullins-trained gelding was settled in fourth of the five runners. His jumping was a little sticky in the early stages, notably at the first two flights in the back straight on the final circuit, but he jumped the next two well, and coasted around the home turn, the only horse still on the bridle, just behind the leaders. He joined The Last Draw on the far side on the run to the second last, still on the bridle as David Casey was hard at work on the leader, took it up at that obstacle, and careered away over the last for Emmet Mullins to post a most impressive victory from Quito De La Roque, with the useful Hugo De Vindecy, impressive winner of his maiden hurdle on his previous start, back in third.

This was just the third run of Enterprise Park’s life. A £50,000 purchase as a three-year-old store, he won his bumper on his racecourse debut at Gowran Park last April on yielding ground, easily landed his maiden hurdle over two miles back at Gowran on heavy ground, and it seems that he has improved again for stepping up to two miles and six furlongs. His dam is a half-sister to Risk Of Thunder, and to Park Breeze, the dam of Fork Lightning, Distant Thunder, The Listener, Dooneys Gate and Offshore Account, so it is hardly surprising that he seems to have stamina in abundance. Down with Willie Mullins before the start of the season, this fellow was one that he ear-marked among his top 50 horses. The trainer reckoned that he would handle soft ground, but that he would be better on better ground over a trip in the spring. As such, he is an interesting candidate for the Albert Bartlett Hurdle at this stage. It is not beyond the bounds of possibility that he would run in the Neptune Investments Hurdle at the Festival, but if you knew that he was definitely going for the longer race, best odds of 16/1 about him for that would be fair.

28th December 2009