All systems go for the Cheltenham festival now for the Paul Gilligan trained Glamorgan Duke.
The son of Flemensfirth fought back resolutely to land the spoils in the €150,000 Gaelic Plant Hire Handicap Chase on Sunday afternoon at Leopardstown racecourse.
Stabled down in Athenry, Glamorgan Duke had been up with the pace throughout, although he seemed booked for the second placed position in the two-mile-five contest when momentarily collared by Trainwreck on the run-in but the game horse refused to be denied in a proper exhilarating finish. Winning rider Conor Maxwell rode the unfancied 33/1 shot with such buoyancy and strength in the concluding stages of the muddlingrace, a head victory was the official margin of triumph, Maxwell made a substantial difference in the saddle.
The winning trainer, Paul Gilligan insisted; “I had the chance of selling him a few times. I perhaps should have sold him, but I said he’s too good to sell and I knew he’d win a win a big pot someday”. He then added; “He’ll possibly go to Cheltenham for one of the amateur races - I have him entered in the National Hunt Chase, I don’t know whether we’ll go or not. We will appreciate today and see what happens tomorrow”.
If Glamorgan Duke turns up at the Cheltenham festival in March, I’d be quietly confident a bold show. He is presently priced up at odds of 33/1 by most firms for the National Hunt Chase, with all things considered he has a better chance than them odds would infer.
