For the fourth year running, the Lawlor’s Of Naas Hurdle, the first feature race of the calendar year in the Irish jumps calendar was claimed by an Irish point-to-point graduate, as Battleoverdoyen enhanced his reputation in the Grade 1 contest.
Entering the 2m4f contest with a Punchestown bumper and Navan maiden hurdle victory to his name already this season, the six-year-old son of Doyen was sent off as the 2/1 favourite, and he always raced on the heels of the leaders in the hands of Jack Kennedy.
Making his move early in the home straight, a big jump over the second-last flight, saw him emerge with the advantage, and whilst he was slightly awkward over the final fence, the Gordon Elliott-trained Giggistown House Stud-owned bay had plenty left in the tank as he went on to score by two and a-half lengths.
Former Irish Pointers dominated the race, with Sam’s Profile, who had won a four-year-old maiden at Cragmore in February for Mick Goff, returned in second, with the placings completed by Getareason, the Getaway gelding that had finished second in a four-year-old maiden at Punchestown for Warren Ewing.
Battleoverdoyen himself made a winning debut between the flags, becoming yet another high-class individual to emerge out of an Easter Loughanmore four-year-old maiden, winning at the Antrim course for Jerry Cosgrave, after which he was bought by Elliott for £235,000 at the Tattersalls Ireland Cheltenham April Sale.
Following his first Grade 1 success, Battleoverdoyen is now a 6/1 shot for the Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival.
A fine performance from the unbeaten Battleoverdoyen to follow in the hoofprints of the likes of Rule The World in the Lawlor's of Naas Novice Hurdle
— Racing TV (@RacingTV) January 6, 2019
Results %u27A1 https://t.co/7iJOPsdIyZ pic.twitter.com/gqJP9UlTzL
