More Mark Walsh magic as Thedevilscoachman denies Ashdale Bob

Tuesday: Navan

In-form jockey Mark Walsh was seen at his brilliant best again as he delivered Thedevilscoachman beautifully close home to deny Ashdale Bob in the rescheduled Grade 2 BetVictor Boyne Hurdle.

Reverting to hurdles after two runs over fences this season, where he bumped into classy sorts Ferny Hollow, Coeur Sublime and Saint Sam, the Noel Meade-trained winner stayed on well in the 2m5f contest to score at 4-1.

It did not look an entirely likely success for much of the straight, especially after the front-running Ashdale Bob, who was well supported at 9-2, landed with momentum on his side after the final flight.

However, Walsh never seemed to panic as the pair drew clear of a staying-on Commander Of Fleet. The leading rider managed to eke out just enough from his mount to score by a head in the dying strides, never resorting to using his whip on the run-in.

Click here to watch Thedevilscoachman mow down Ashdale Bob

Grand Roi is likely have entered some notebooks as a potential Cheltenham Festival handicap candidate after his fourth-placed effort, but leading contenders Ronald Pump (fifth) and 5-2 favourite Longhouse Poet (seventh) were unable to land a telling blow at the death.

Meade revealed that Thedevilscoachman has been given entries for the Coral Cup and County Hurdle, but whether he appears in either Cheltenham Festival handicap has yet to be decided.

Paddy Power cut the JP McManus-owned winner to 8-1 (from 16s) for the Coral Cup.

On the move to swap a novice chasing campaign for a return to hurdles, Meade said: "He jumped so bad the last day – he wasn't having a cut at his fences at all – and Mark felt he sort of lost his bottle a little bit.

"We thought it was getting late in the season so we said we'd go back over hurdles. When we first schooled him over hurdles he wasn't exactly giving me a lot of confidence, but he jumped great there."

Noel Meade (right) on Thedevilscoachman: 'I'd say that the [testing] ground is a big factor with him.'Credit: Patrick McCann (racingpost.com/photos)

Meade added: "I'd say that the [testing] ground is a big factor with him. The day he won his bumper at Naas he sprouted wings in it, and he did the same again today when he got going – he loves that ground and stayed well.

"I haven't any idea where he'll go next but we'll see. He's in the Coral Cup and the County Hurdle but it might not be very easy after that. The Coral Cup might be the one [of those two] but it depends what way he'll be handicapped – we'll see what happens."

Tuesday's success for Walsh made it nine winners in 12 rides, all of which have come in the colours of JP McManus. The pair combined to land the Grade 1 Betfair Ascot Chase with Fakir D'Oudairies, trained by Joseph O'Brien, on Saturday.

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