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Zanahiyr took his undefeated jumping record to three by earning grade two honors at the Knight Frank Juvenile Hurdle in Leopardstown.
A first winner at the Flat when he was with Michael Halford, Nathaniel’s son has done nothing wrong on the smaller obstacles since joining Gordon Elliott and has driven his claims for the JCB Triumph Hurdle at Cheltenham with commanding success.
With a 3-pound penalty for a grade three win at Fairyhouse, the 1-2 favorite justified his prohibitive odds in the way his fans would have hoped.
Joseph O’Brien’s pair of Druid’s Altar and Busselton made the run early and as the former began to weaken, Busselton made a valiant effort to go with Zanahiyr, who had progressed smoothly under Jack Kennedy to enter the fray and eventually swept the O’Brien just got to the side to score by three lengths and three quarters.
“It was a great performance,” Kennedy said.
“It was a completely opposite race from the last day. We were very firm and he still won, so it shows that he can do it anyway.”
“He just did what he had to do. Quilixios (undefeated stablemate) is also very good, but I think he could top it.”
This is how Zanahiyr (1-2F) justified the favoritism at Knight Frank Juvenile Hurdle in Leopardstown. pic.twitter.com/l4aGvh6gjv
– RTÉ Racing (@RTEracing) December 26, 2020
The victory completed a quick double for Elliott and Kennedy after the Wide Receiver’s victory (3-1) at the previous Thorntons Recycling Maiden Hurdle.
The Barra set the pace early, but as he headed before the penultimate it seemed like a match between Wide Receiver and Decimation, both wearing the colors of Gigginstown House Stud.
Wide Receiver proved to be the strongest and a good jump on the last flight secured victory for Elliott’s charge.
The five-year-old went on to score by a length and a half. Snake Oil was eight lengths away in third place.
Kennedy said of the winner: “He did well and I think taking it later today really suits him.”
“He had some good races under his belt so it was great to have his head out front.”
Elliott was not in Leopardstown, as he revealed that he was isolating himself after testing positive for Covid-19.
In a statement read by Brian Gleeson at RTÉ Racing, Elliott said: “As part of the recommended return from the test on day 5 of the trip, I have tested positive for coronavirus. It has been a big surprise as I have been asymptomatic and will now continue to isolate myself for another 10 days.
“Since the test result came back, we have had all the staff here at Cullentra screened and luckily all the tests came back negative.”
Get My Drift (9-2) went off the mark on the third try with immediate success at the Maiden Hurdle ‘Join the tote.ie With A 10 Euro Risk Free Bet’.
Third in his first two jumping races, the Mouse Morris-trained four-year-old was two places better, beating 18 opponents in promising fashion.
Micro Manage, the favorite for uniform money, raced to the penultimate flight where Hurricane Cliff and Get My Drift looked like a big challenge.
Jody McGarvey asked Get My Drift for his effort and between the last two hurdles and soon ended the race.
Gee Rex advanced well at the end to claim second place, two and a half lengths behind the winner. Micro Manage was three and three-quarters behind in third place.
“He’s a good horse and jumps well. The better terrain was a help for him,” Morris said.
“I was hoping to finish second, but we’ll take it all. He ran well on bottomless ground last time.
“We will look for winners of one now. He will be better off with another year under his belt.
“It’s a nice Christmas present.”
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