Lot 9
Rapid Escape (IRE) Ch.G.

Rapid Escape created a very big impression with his authoritative debut success at Tinahely last month. This was a particularly slowly run contest, and as a result, all bar one of the field were tightly grouped on the run into the home straight. It was only at this point did the tempo of the race really begin to pick-up. Launching his challenge up the inside of rivals, the Doyen gelding picked-up smartly to hit the front on jumping the penultimate fence, and it is from this point onwards that the good-looking chestnut gelding really began to show what he is truly capable of. Galloping clear of his rivals, Rapid Escape justified notable market support to run out a wide-margin 10-length winner. The runner-up brought a good level of form to the race having finished a staying on third at Ballinaboola a fortnight earlier. This is a race which was won by last year’s World Hurdle runner-up Alpha Des Obeaux in 2014 and connections Chris Donnelly and Gordon Elliott have a good recent record of producing smart point-to-point graduates from a very small pool of runners in these colours. Their 2015 Maralin maiden winner Baltazar D’Allier finished second in this season’s Grade 1 Challow Hurdle at Newbury for new owner JP McManus, whilst Elegant Escape who finished second in a four-year-old maiden at Monksgrange, has already won twice over hurdles for Colin Tizzard, rising to a mark of 139.

Consignor: Mr Christopher Donnelly