Walk To Freedom

Walk To Freedom did well to finish second behind Cuneo in the Pertemps Qualifier.

Held up early on as usual, he travelled really well for Robbie Power, and his jumping was very efficient.  He travelled well across the top of the track over the second last flight and into the home straight, and he stayed on powerfully up the run-in.  Cuneo was a good winner, he was pricking his ears going to the line, but Walk To Freedom stayed on best of all to get up for second place, just a half a length behind the winner.

Jessica Harrington’s horse has had plenty of racing, but his last three runs have been up there with the best of his career.  After springing a 20/1 surprise in the Proudstown Hurdle at Navan on Troytown Chase day off a mark of 131, he proved that he was up to a mark of 138 when he finished fourth off that mark behind Salty Boys in the Tara Handicap Hurdle back at Navan in mid-December, when a mistake at the third last flight didn’t help. Friday’s run was another step forward from that, it was probably a career-best on his first run over 3m.  He will be of interest now in another 3m handicap hurdle, and he could be a lively outsider for the Pertemps Final at the Cheltenham Festival. Last year’s Pertemps Final runner-up, Glenloe, finished third in this Leopardstown qualifier.

Leopardstown, 28^th December 2018