The Yellow Clay maintained his unblemished record over timber with a runaway win in the Lawlor's Of Naas Novice Hurdle.
Sent off at 11/4 following Grade 3 and Grade 2 wins at Navan in November and December respectively, the Gordon Elliott-trained six-year-old revelled in the testing ground under Sam Ewing and saw out the two and a half mile trip exceptionally well while others floundered in behind.
Willie Mullins' Supersundae (6/1) stuck to the task well in second in the hands of Patrick Mullins but he was eight lengths down at the line, with a further three back to the winner's stablemate Wingmen (16/1) in third.
Mullins' first-string Jasmin De Vaux was once again troubled by some very moderate jumping and ended up a well-held fourth as the 11/8 favourite, while upped-in-grade Butch Cassidy (17/2) could never get competitive and Shuffle The Deck (8/1) was eventually pulled-up after coming under the pump before jumping the third-last.
Unlimited Replays
of all UK and Irish races with our Race Replays
Discover Sporting Life Plus Benefits
Of the winner, Elliott said: “He just knows how to win and is improving the whole time. I was very worried about the ground and was undecided about running him but I rang Noel (Moran, owner), who is in Turkey, and he gave me the green light.
“They went a good gallop all the way and Wingmen ran a good race as well.
“I’d imagine he (The Yellow Clay) will go straight to Cheltenham now. I loved the way he travelled today and if anything, he probably got there plenty soon. Sam said he hated the ground.
“The race in Navan, where he was a bit behind the bridle, probably helped to wake him up."
Paddy Power make The Yellow Clay a 7/1 shot from 20/1 for the Turners Novices’ Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival in March, while he is 8/1 from 12/1 with the same firm for the Albert Bartlett.
More from Sporting Life
- Racecards
- Fast results
- Full results and free video replays
- Horse racing news
- Horse racing tips
- Horse racing features
- Download our free iOS and Android app
- Football and other sports tips
- Podcasts and video content
Safer gambling
We are committed in our support of safer gambling. Recommended bets are advised to over-18s and we strongly encourage readers to wager only what they can afford to lose.
If you are concerned about your gambling, please call the National Gambling Helpline / GamCare on 0808 8020 133.
Further support and information can be found at begambleaware.org and gamblingtherapy.org.
