Limestone Lad: Echoes In Rain on course for Mares' Hurdle after easy Naas win

When Echoes In Rain looks good she can look very good indeed, and that was resoundingly the case here as the daughter of Authorized had far too many gears for her opponents.

It has been a good 12 months for the Barnane Stud-owned mare, not only over hurdles with a second to Honeysuckle in last season's Punchestown Champion Hurdle was the highlight, but also on the Flat where victory in the amateur handicap at Galway was followed by an agonising last-stride defeat in the Irish Cesarewitch.

This test proved very much up her street. She was a little keen in racing off the pace set by her stable companion Cash Back, and while some of her more vaunted rivals like Bob Olinger and Meet And Greet were off the bridle turning in, she cruised into contention and just cantered to the front after the last flight. A winning margin of ten lengths did not do full justice to her superiority and it provided welcome compensation for Willie Mullins and Paul Townend after the disqualification of Ramillies in the Grade 3 Naas Novice Chase earlier in the afternoon.

Echoes In Rain saunters home under Paul TownendCredit: Patrick McCann

Mullins said: “She did that nicely, probably better than I expected. We thought that we had the fastest horse in the race so Paul was not in any rush to get to the front, he was happy enough to let Cash Back go out in front and make it. She was keen enough, too, which can happen with a horse who has had a few runs on the Flat.

“She will be more at home in a faster-run race. I'm not sure she is sharp enough at two miles when she steps up in grade so I would imagine the Mares' Hurdle at Cheltenham will be her next port of call.” She was cut to 6-1 from 10-1 by Paddy Power for that contest.

Mullins also expressed his delight with the performance of 20-1 shot Cash Back, who stuck to his task well to finish second. “He surprised us a bit. I was hoping he would get some prize-money, but to finish second was a great run. Last time we held him up and it didn't work, and he enjoyed himself much better today. Then again, he was left to make the pace. We will try and find another race like that maybe over an extra two furlongs.”

A length and a quarter further back in third came Bob Olinger, who managed to stay on again, but it was a finishing position which disguised a somewhat laboured effort for much of the way where his jumping did him few favours. Admittedly, it was his first run over this trip since his hurdles debut back in November 2020, but it might be a case of back to the drawing board with him.

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