Daly Tiger roars in Fairyhouse feature

Gary Carson
January 16, 2021 3:15 pm

Chatham Street Lad has to settle for third in Dan & Joan Moore Memorial.

Daly Tiger sprang a 20-1 surprise in the Dan & Joan Moore Memorial Handicap Chase at Fairyhouse.

Noel Meade’s eight-year-old, carrying the colours of Gigginstown House Stud, put behind him a disappointing effort on this course five weeks ago to lift the valuable prize.

Sean Flanagan kept Daly Tiger off the pace set by the trio of Goulane Chosen, the 7-4 favourite Chatham Street Lad and Game Of War in the early stages.

He made stealthy progress as the pack closed in when Chatham Street Lad, impressive winner of Cheltenham’s Caspian Caviar Gold Cup, took the lead four out with a fine leap.

However, Daly Tiger soon joined and hit the front two out. Pont Aven made a late bid, but Daly Tiger stuck to his task well to win by five lengths. Chatham Street Lad was seven lengths away in third place.

“We put a claimer on him the last day. It probably wasn’t the claimer’s fault because he got his instructions to ride closer to the pace and I think we used him up a little bit too much,” said Meade.

“Today when Sean got him relaxed, he was just a different kettle of fish. He’s a brilliant jumper and he’s a nice horse.

“He’s going to get a fair old penalty for today so it might knock him out of handicaps.

“We’ll enter him in the Grand Annual (at Cheltenham), but I would imagine he’s going to have a lot of weight in that. I would think we’d probably look at Grade Threes. We’ll have a look where we go.

“I thought he’d go for a two-mile-five handicap in Leopardstown at the (Dublin) Festival meeting, but I’d say that’s a 150 race and I don’t think he’d get into that now.”