Grange Island made a winning return to action to prevail in a thrilling finish to the hunter chase at Fairyhouse on Friday afternoon.
Renewing rivalries with Global Assembly, a rival that he had defeated by a head at Clonmel in January, Liam Burke’s charge faced a stiffer task on his seasonal re-appearance, as he had to concede five pounds to the race-fit favourite.
Global Assembly was sent off as the favourite despite meeting with defeat at Castletown-Geoghegan last month, and it was his long-absent stable mate Ask D’ Man who took the field along at a steady gallop.
Once the long-time leader gave way it a line of three horses that faced up to the final fence with both Grange Island and Global Assembly joined at the business end by Seamus Murnane’s big market mover Dromleigh.
They were the trio of horses that jumped the final fence almost as one, but it was Grange Island who had the most left in reserves as he snugly held off Global Assembly by half-a-length with Dromleigh a further length and three quarters back in third.
“I was hoping he would run a nice race, but he is hard to get fit, as he is a lazy so and so. We had him away once or twice but he does go fresh,” Burke said.
“In fairness Mikey [O’Connor] gets on well with him and he got some good jumps out of him.
“I won’t run him too soon as he lost his form and was disappointing at the end of last season, I’ll look at something after Christmas, maybe something like the Tetretema at Gowran.”
Grange Island %u2728
— FairyhouseRacecourse (@Fairyhouse) November 24, 2023
Secures Our Fifth Race Of The Day ‘The INHSC Supporting Point-To-Points Hunters Steeplechase’
%uD83D%uDC4F Congratulations To All Winning Connections pic.twitter.com/K37QyaOWr1
