Realt Dubh

Realt Dubh put up a really nice performance on his chasing debut to win a good two-and-a-half-mile beginners' chase at Navan on Saturday. Held up just behind the leaders in the early stages and jumping well for Davy Condon, he and fellow joint-favourite Sweeps Hill progressed together, but it was obvious on the run to the second last fence that the Noel Meade horse was travelling the better. The leader Venalmar made a mistake at the second last, and that enabled Realt Dubh take it up on the run to the final fence, which he jumped well before coming away nicely on the run-in to win well from Sweeps Hill and Venalmar, with the three of them finishing clear of their rivals.

This was a good beginners' chase, Sweeps Hill (second to Dunguib in the 2009 Punchestown Champion Bumper) and Venalmar (second in the 2008 Ballymore Properties Hurdle before injury struck) are sure to take a high rank among the novice chasers this season and Realt Dubh beat them well on just his second run since he finished seventh behind Mikael D'Haguenet in the Ballymore Properties Hurdle at the 2009 Cheltenham Festival. A point-to-point winner, that was the only time that he finished out of the first three in six runs over hurdles, he wasn't far behind the very top novices of his year, but he has always been a steeplechaser in the making. He didn't run at all badly in a handicap hurdle at Fairyhouse last April when third behind Unhinged on his first run since suffering a stress fracture, and it looks like he is none the worse for his injury. He is still only six, and he is an exciting novice chaser for the season ahead.

25th September 2010

© The Irish Field, 2nd October 2010

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