Solitary Man enhanced his course record at Killarney when he ran out the snug winner of the Thorn Plant Hire Hunters Chase on Monday evening.
Despite having 15 lengths to find with his Cork conqueror Journey With Me, Enda Bolger’s charge was sent off as the favourite, and he duly justified that market confidence.
Making his move to challenge the front-running Lifetime Ambition early in the home straight, Josh Halford’s mount went on in between the final two fences, and although What Path closed to win a length and a half of the eight-year-old by the line, it was a snug success for the Champs Elysees gelding.
Lifetime Ambition was a further length and a half adrift of the pair in third.
The victory was a fourth of the season, following earlier wins at Castletown-Geoghegan, Rathcannon and Nenagh, with Halford reunited with the Solitary Man for the first time since they finished fourth at Thurles in January.
“I rode a winner on him at the start of the season, and he a nice old horse,” the Grade 1 winning jockey said. “I ride him a lot when I got into Enda’s, so I was delighted to get it. It’s been a dream few days, it means the world.
“He comes alive around this oul track, he loves the fences here, his jumping was slick and the minute he came up between the two horses he latched on and really enjoyed it. He enjoyed it as much as I did.
“He is laid back, so I said the minute that he would come back under it, I would give him a reminder, he has loads of ability, I don’t think that he is ungenuine, but he is an older horse and he minds himself.”
The victory was a fifth at the Kerry venue for Solitary man, whose latest course success had come just under two years earlier, whilst it also completed a double on the card for Enda Bolger.
“Josh excelled there on Solitary, they are a good match,” Bolger said. “I think that is his fifth win around here, so hopefully we can build on it again.
“He is a great stayer, and even when he got to the last, he started pricking his oul ears, he is a real spring, summer horse. I asked him to do a few things this year, we went to Cheltenham, and number one, he probably wasn’t good enough, but it was probably the wrong time of the year too because he loves the sun on his back.
“I’m delighted for Josh, he is going to turn professional in July, a very good rider and worth a lot for his claim.”
