Cromwell hits double at DRF and wins first Irish Grade One in four years

The Dublin Racing Festival at Leopardstown commenced today and there were winners for Meath trainers, Gavin Cromwell and Noel Meade.

Gavin Cromwell had a quick-fire double in the second and third race of the Dublin Racing Festival which got underway at Leopardstown on Saturday. Hello Neighbour provided the Balrath trainer with his first Grade One in Ireland in four years after he took the honours in the juvenile hurdle.

Keith Donoghue produced the four-year-old at the last to challenge Lady Vega Allen and Hello Neighbour finished strongest to win by three parts of a length. Hello Neighbour has now won a grade two and a grade one in his first two outings over hurdles, both of which came at Leopardstown.

Speaking to RTE after the race, Gavin Cromwell said " “He’s a proper one. I brought him along slowly and he’s answered every call, hopefully, he’ll improve again. He was still a little bit keen, but I think he’s going to learn every day. He’s a straightforward horse, but he just wants to get on with it - he’ll be fine. The more he does, the more he’ll improve.”

Paddy Power has since shortened Hello Neighbour's price for the Triumph Hurdle at Cheltenham from 5/1 to 9/2.

Cromwell was still reeling in Hello Nieghbours success, when Perceval Legellois crossed the line first in the valuable Leopardstown Handicap Hurdle.

Ridden by Mark Walsh in the J.P McManus colours, the eight-year-old made up ground on the approach to the second last and was pushed on by Walsh to score by a length and a half. It is the second time that Preceval Leggelois has won the race after he took the spoils in the 2023 renewal.

Speaking after Perceval Legallois' victory, Gavin Cromwell said  “You wouldn’t think he was after running over fences, he was very nimble over hurdles. I thought coming here that he was a better chaser than a hurdler, but you can’t argue with that. He’s in the National and sure you’d have to consider it.”

Noel Meade wrapped up proceedings on day one of the DRF with a winner when Colcannon won the concluding race. Ridden by Derek O'Connor, the five-year-old earned connections a nice €60,000 in prize money by taking the grade two bumper.

In an interview after the race, Meade detailed the rollercoaster ride that he had been on with the winner.

“When he went to Punchestown and Sixandahalf beat him, we felt he was gone at that stage. Then he had a bad run in Thurles, when we shouldn’t have run him as it was too soon. He was a shell. The whole intention after he won his bumper was to go jumping with him, but the schooling just wasn’t going the way I wanted it to go. We decided we’d run him in the bumper at Christmas, but the day before we had spots in the yard and he came up with a couple of spots so we had to take him out of that and then here was the next one."