'She didn't pass it with flying colours, but she passed it' - Zenta earns place on Triumph team

Willie Mullins now has five of the top seven in the betting for the JCB Triumph Hurdle after Zenta earned her spot on the starting team next month.

A 4-9 favourite winning comfortably enough in the end by three lengths only tells half the story of the Grade 3 Norman Colfer Winning Fair Juvenile Hurdle and if you took the skimpy odds, you had two terrifying moments up the home straight.

Zenta made a mess two out and was arguably even worse at the last but she still had enough in the tank to run away from Hypotenus, who made an encouraging start to his own hurdling career for John McConnell.

The JP McManus-owned juvenile is now a general 20-1 shot for the Triumph Hurdle and that is where you will see her next.

Mullins said: "She jumped super and then things just fell apart, but I think she will improve. She's essentially a good jumper and it was just maybe being in front.

"She's a nice mare and will head for the Triumph Hurdle, I'd imagine. If she just keeps her jumping together she's going to win lots of prizes. She's one we have been looking forward to and she passed the test. She didn't pass it with flying colours, but she passed it."

Name to note

Down Memory Lane is a name it might pay to remember after a comfortable success on his rules debut for Gordon Elliott.

The winning trainer is not going to rush the odds-on winner of the bumper and you might not see him again until he reappears in a maiden hurdle next season.

Elliott said: "He's a nice horse. We might leave him alone for next year after that."

He was the second leg of a late double for the trainer, who earlier sent out Ballykeel to land the 3m1½f rated novice chase under promising 7lb claimer Corey McGivern.

Down Memory Lane: scores on his rules debut under Derek O'ConnorCredit: Patrick McCann

Donoghue does a Harchibald

Ross O'Sullivan sung the praises of Keith Donoghue after he swooped late to land the 2m½f maiden hurdle on Volantis.

The jockey told O'Sullivan he was going to ride the five-year-old the way Paul Carberry used to ride Harchibald and he brought it off too.

O'Sullivan said: "The last day when Keith rode him here he thought he was going to win turning in and he got to the front early on him.

"Today he said he was going to ride him like Harchibald! It was a lovely patient ride and Katie [Walsh] rang me straight away afterwards and said it was a peach of a ride."

Flying form

Barry Connell's season just keeps getting better and better and the trainer – who is looking forward to Marine Nationale and Good Land at Cheltenham next month – was among the winners thanks to L'yser in the 2m4f handicap hurdle.

Connell said of the 3-1 favourite: "It was a competitive race, it was a little mini Galway Hurdle. It's not an easy race to win and it takes a good horse to do it."

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