Image © Healy Racing
Jeremy Pass made all of the running as he claimed the final hunter chase of the season, the Beasley Engineering Hunter Chase at Listowel.
Jeremy Pass made all of the running as he claimed the final hunter chase of the season, the Beasley Engineering Hunter Chase at Listowel.
Entering the race having gained his initial success for Sam Curling at Ballindenisk last month, Pa King set out his intentions from the drop of the flag as he immediately send the nine-year-old son of Jeremy to the front.
The pair never faltered as an error-free round of jumping saw them control the pace, and they had many of their rivals struggling in the back straight when increasing the tempo.
The favourite, and recent Killarney Hunter Chase victor Early Doors was never travelling as well as the all-the-way winner, and although closing the gap on him to the last fence, that was as close as he ever got, with the Sam Curling’s charge always holding the runner-up to triumph by a length and three quarters.
Former Punchestown festival runner-up Vaucelet was held in third when parting company with Shane Cotter at the final fence, which handed Earth Furies the final position on the rostrum.
“He did it well and it was a good performance,” King said.
“Sam just said to be good and smart over the first couple and then see what happens, I always felt that he was travelling well within himself and jumping, he raced lazily, but he was keeping a little bit for himself – he did that well.
“When I got a couple of smacks into him and I felt the other horse coming to the last, he was never letting him get any closer.
“Sam picked up last year and he is great with these horses, he gives them a new life. He was beaten by Its On The Line on his first for Sam, and then had a few little issues through the season so he missed a bit, but he has brought him back and he had a nice win the last day so I thought he had a good chance today.”
