Sir Bob swoops late for Cork National glory

Alan Magee
November 6, 2023 7:57 am

Short-head success for Robert Tyner’s charge.

Sir Bob snatched success in the final strides of the Paddy Power Cork Grand National Handicap Chase.

The Robert Tyner-trained gelding was a 9-1 chance under Simon Torrens for the Listed staying event over three miles and four furlongs.

The 11-year-old had not won since December 2022 and narrowly missed out on a valuable prize when just beaten in the Colm Quinn BMW Handicap Chase at the Punchestown Festival in April.

Success was not assured at Cork until the closing seconds of the race, when Sir Bob edged past Barry Connell’s Call The Tune, the 5-2 favourite, to prevail by a short head.

“That was grand and great that it worked out as his jumping kept him in it,” said Tyner.

“He is inclined to be lazy through his races but once he was there turning in, I thought he had a great chance.

“Staying is his job and he was unlucky in Punchestown when only beaten in a photo finish having been jumped across at the last fence. This is well deserved and he is tough.

“We were happy with his first run back over hurdles but disappointed with his second run, although today’s extra distance helped.

“This is my first time winning this race, it is a good pot and he is an 11-year-old, so it is great to get it. He is getting near the edge in handicaps now but we’ll look to the Porterstown Chase and to longer-distance hurdles now.”

Letsbeclearaboutit continued to make strides in his chasing career with a decisive success in the Paddy Power Feel Like A Favourite Irish EBF Novice Chase.

Gavin Cromwell’s eight-year-old made a winning debut over fences at Gowran in late September, with the form subsequently franked when the second-placed horse, Largy Debut, was runner up in the Munster National.

Letsbeclearaboutit lined up as the 5-4 favourite at Cork and duly delivered when scoring by 10 lengths after a prominent passage through the race and a neat round of jumping under Sean Flanagan.

“He was very good and looks an out-and-out chaser,” Cromwell said.

“You’d have to be excited by him and it was very straightforward for Sean, 11st 2lb is Keith’s (Donoghue) minimum weight so he missed the ride.

“We’ll probably give him a Drinmore entry, it’s four weeks away and that’s what’s on my mind at the moment.

“I don’t think he needs to go three miles, as he has plenty of gears and he loves jumping.”

Enda Bolger enjoyed a Listed victory on the same card when Solitary Man scored by two and a half lengths in the Paddy Power “I Still Call It Twitter” Irish EBF Novice Hurdle.

Darragh O’Keeffe did the steering and rode the five-year-old to a smooth success.

“Darragh said he’s manning up all the time and his jumping is excellent,” Bolger said.

“After the last day here, I was saying that he had been busy enough and would we leave him alone, but I just saw the entries and said we’d have a shot at it. It was a good call and good prize money to get.

“I don’t know what I’ll do now – he definitely likes nice ground and I’d prefer to put him away. He’s only five and if they’re good, they’re worth minding, so we mightn’t see him now until the spring.

“Fences will be his real thing, so maybe we could eventually look at a beginners’ chase at Killarney.”