Zanoosh goes whoosh!

Zanoosh (8/13f) has Cheltenham options having completed a hat-trick of recent wins in Navan’s Listed Ryan's Cleaning Apple's Jade Mares Novice Hurdle today, with the race-titled top racemare’s first foal finishing sixth in the race.

Previously successful at Punchestown in December and over today’s course-and-distance last month, six-year-old Zanoosh raced prominently and skipped clear under Brian Hayes from the second-last to easily beat Poetisa by eight lengths.

Today’s race was named in honour of 11-time Grade 1-winner Apple’s Jade, who regularly blitzed rivals in top-level races, with her first foal Apples Jane finishing sixth.

Regarding the Winning Ways Reunion Syndicate-owned mare, winning trainer Colm Murphy mentioned "she's on the upward curve, keeps improving and definitely has improved from the last day. I’m delighted with her and she handles that ground really well.

"We would have been disappointed if she hadn't gone and done it well, but she had to do it without getting a hard race if we were to consider going for graded races.”

He added “Cheltenham’s Albert Bartlett is a dreamer's option you might say, but we gave her an entry after winning here the last day. It is an option, though, and she has gone on nice ground in the past. The step up to three miles on nice ground could be what she wants.

"We'll see how she is after and we will have loads of options with her. There's also a race in Limerick the same day (Cheltenham week), so we'll see.

"Whenever we step her up to three miles, I have no doubt she is going to improve again, but we are in no panic to when she keeps doing that over 2m4f."

Zanoosh was later cut to 33/1 for the Albert Bartlett Hurdle.

Quotes from Michael Graham