18+ | Commercial Content | T&Cs apply | Wagering and T&Cs apply | Play Responsibly | Advertising Disclosure
icon
Mark Nunan

Mark Nunan

Grangeclare Native battles well to win the bumper

Sun 8th Dec 2019, 17:00

Gordon Elliott won the bumper at PunchestownGordon Elliott won the bumper at Punchestown
© Photo Healy Racing

Market principals Grangeclare Native (6/4) and Jungle Junction (5/4 fav) had a good tussle in the concluding Old House, Kill 4-y-o (Pro-Am) INH Flat Race with the former rallying close home to gain a half-length victory.

Plenty held chances turning for home, but when Finny Maguire produced the favourite to lead at the furlong pole it looked to be a race-winning move.

The Gigginstown-owned winner dug deep, though, for Lisa O’Neill and came back on the inside with a determined effort. It was another five and a half lengths back to The Sliding Rock (14/1), stable companion of the winner, in third place.

Denis Murphy won a point-to-point with Grangeclare Native at Curraghmore in April, before the Shantou gelding fetched 125,000 pounds at the Tattersalls Cheltenham sale later that month. He’s a half-brother to three winners including Christy Roches’s five-time winner Line Ball, and a full-brother to the Twiston-Davies’ current runner Rocco, who’s won over hurdles and fences for that yard.

“He’s a big baby and a horse for next year, said winning trainer Gordon Elliott.

"Two miles is probably as short as he wants and he was bought to be a chaser.

“He won’t do much more this season."

Reflecting on Hardline s fine second-place finish at 25/1 in the John Durkan Chase behind Min Elliott said: “Hardline ran a good race and if he was to run the race again he probably would have held onto him a bit longer. He probably doesn’t get the credit he deserves — he's a Grade One winner.

“He might go for the Kinloch Brae at Thurles.”

Additional reporting by Alan Magee

About Mark Nunan
Mark has followed racing since he was a teenager and worked for many years as a broadcaster with the Irish version of Racecall. He joined the Press Association in 2019 and is also a contributor to the Racing Post. A native of Kildare, he now lives in Sligo.