Market Rasen review: Eileendover is all class in mares' bumper

Eileendover all class in bumper

EILEENDOVER ran out a tremendous winner of the Alan Swinbank Mares' Standard Open National Hunt Flat race at Market Rasen on Saturday.

Pam Fly's filly, a granddaughter of her 1000 Guineas winner Speciosa, had to prove herself stepping up in trip after winning two junior bumpers over shorter, but she was much too classy for this Listed field.

Sent off the 11/8 favourite, she won by six-and-a-half lengths in the style of a very good horse and earned herself quotes of 10/1 from both Betfair and Paddy Power for the Champion Bumper at the Cheltenham Festival.

Willie Mullins won the contest last year and he sent Grangee over this time around, but she could only manage third place behind Miss Lamb, with the pair both put in their place by the winner.

Sly said: “That was good, wasn’t it? Very good. I thought ‘Oh my god, she’s never going to get there’, but she just found another gear didn’t she? She just took off and flew.

“I’ve had a lot of offers for her but she’s not for sale, she’s not going anywhere! She’s a proper, proper mare.”

O’Brien said: “She just motors through the ground, she just travels so easily. She’d handle a bit of nicer ground, I think. We were all a bit worried about the ground because we were going up three furlongs as well, but she handles that ground and she’d handle better ground, too.

“It was pretty easy, I pulled her out just to get a bit of fresher ground and keep it simple for her. I actually don’t know how far she won by, but she bolted up.

“She can step up again. She can take on the geldings in a good race too, I’m certain of that.”

Edwardstone bounces back

EDWARDSTONE got his season back on track with an easy win in the MansionBet Handicap Hurdle.

Alan King's horse unseated Tom Bellamy at the fourth on his last run at Doncaster, his sole novice chasing start, at the end of December, but there would be no such drama at Market Rasen as he cruised to a five-length success in the hands of Gavin Sheehan.

He had a clear class edge on his three rivals and had no problem giving away lumps of weight in tough conditions to win off a rating of 141.

Betfair Sportsbook reacted by cutting him to 12/1 from 20s for the Betfair Hurdle at Newbury on February 13, where he'll have to carry a 5lb penalty following this success.

Blind gets the job done

ON THE BLIND SIDE rewarded Nicky Henderson for turning him out quickly with victory in the MansionBet's Bet 10 Get 20 Hurdle.

Runner-up just a week ago behind McFabulous in the rescheduled Relkeel Hurdle at Kempton, the nine-year-old gave an early boost to that form with a narrow neck success over Lil Rockerfeller.

Lil Rockerfeller still led after jumping the last, but a well-timed challenged from Nico de Boinville ensured victory with the pair over eight lengths clear of Keeper Hill in third.