Gettysburg Address tops at Navan

It was almost inevitable that a horse named Gettysburg Address would win the last race at Navan today as there was a General, a Jury and even a type of rebel in the winners' enclosure at the Meath venue where the Tote return came in at €176,483.

Nina Carberry partnered Gettysburg Address to a debut victory for Noel Meade in the concluding bumper at Navan.

The win was a surprise for the trainer who wasn't expecting the success quite so soon and he suggested that the five-year-old may not run again this season.

Trainer Gordon Elliott was in double form with Jury Duty in a handicap hurdle which is owned by a local syndicate. His other winner was General Principle.

The rebel aspect was provided the once-banned-from-racing in Ireland and now 14 years old Chestnut Charlie winning a handicap chase for trainer Peter Maher with top Meath jockey Robbie Colgan on board.

Chestnut Charlie won bumpers at Limerick and Downpatrick in 2007 but was subsequently disqualified by the Turf Club for having run in a flapper meeting in Co Roscommon under the name of “The Boxer”.

Chestnut Charlie raced in France during the ban and won a hurdle race at Autueil and was cleared to run in Ireland again in 2010, but the horse failed to win in any of his 22 subsequent races, until today when he quickened smartly on the run-in for Robbbie Colgan for a seven lengths win over Black Zero.

Following the win, Maher, who took over training of the gelding in 2014, stated “I don't know what to say- he's been written off a 100 times!

“We'll look at the cross-country race on the Saturday of Punchestown and he might get a run before that,” he added.

Ashbourne jockey Andrew Lynch was also on the mark with All Souls for Edward O'Grady.