Porter floors them in the Stayers at Cheltenham
After the singing in the rain yesterday when Tiger Roll made his return to the enclosure there were even more raucous celebrations today as Cheltenham when Gavin Cromwell's Flooring Porter returned home a winner for the second year in succession in the Stayers Hurdle.
Given an exceptional ride by Danny Mullins Flooring Porter left the rest of the field in his wake to score for the Danestown trainer and his owners from the Galway/Roscommon syndicate who bought Flooring Porter for just €6,000 from a Facebook ad. The winner was led into the winner's enclosure by Caragh Monaghan from Seneschalstown, a member of the Meath Ladies panel that claimed the All-Ireland SFC title last September.
Cromwell's mount jumped into a handy lead as Klassical Dream, the favourite and another potential front-runner, proved reluctant to start before settling towards the rear.
The 2019 winner, Paisley Park, who was also reluctant to line up before his last race, jumped off with the field but never threatened to land a blow as Mullins dictated from the head of the field.
Flooring Porter was still travelling strongly on the turn for home and though Thyme Hill stayed on well into second they were well beaten by Cromwell's charge.
“The plan was to make it (the running), but of course he has the issues with the start. We wanted to make the running and he was foot perfect everywhere," said the trainer.
“Danny was fantastic on him, when he jumped the third last he eased off and let him fill up, but to be honest I was worried he might get done for a turn of foot. Danny was cool though and knew what he was doing.
“I wasn’t too bad when he was down at the start as I was pretty confident he was going to be OK today, he seems to have matured and he’s behaved himself all the time he’s been here.
“At Leopardstown (at Christmas) Klassical Dream got a flyer and we didn’t and it made the difference, he was beaten just over two lengths. We didn’t want the same to happen in this race.
“Danny is so good on front runners, he has a serious clock in his head.
“He maybe did get an easier lead this year, whether they might not have felt he was as good as he was I don’t know.
“His jumping is unbelievable, he jumps more like a champion hurdler, he’s so slick, long or short, he gains ground at every hurdle.
“Last year was great but the crowd here is magic. I came here and won the Champion Hurdle with Espoir D’allen but he was an outsider, to win a big race with a fancied horse was brilliant, it all worked out.
“We’ll try to get him back here next year,” concluded Cromwell.
OTHER LOCAL RUNNERS
While Irish trainers did land the three Grade 1s on the card at Cheltenham today, it was a disappointing day for Meath connections with no other winners or placed horse on the card.
Gordon Elliott had six chances in the Pertemps, but the best he could manage was with Folcano who came home in ninth. The fancied Sire Du Berlais and Dunboyne had to settle for 11th and 16th respectively with Dalles Des Pictons in between them in 12th.
Elliott's other two mounts, Tullybeg finished 18th while Sassdy Yet Classy was brought down at the fourth.
Elliott's Conflated was given a decent chance to take on Allaho in the Ryanair Chase, but struggled to get into the contest and fell two out.
In the 4.10pm Handicap Chase both of Elliott's entries, Hardline and Grand Paradis pulled up, while in the Mares Novice Hurdle Bective Stud's wait for a first win at the festival continued with Party Central was outpaced on the finish and had to settle for seventh.
The closest Elliott got to a St Patrick's Day victory was with Fakir D'alene in the Kim Muir, but finished four lengths back in fourth behind 40/1 winner Chambard. Smoking Gun was eighth for the Summerhill man, while Glenloe was 10th and Frontal Assault was pulled up.
The other Meath interests in the last race saw Matthew Smith's Mindsmadeup fall at the second and Noel Meade's School Boys Hours pulled up before the second last.