Veteran trainer Tom Hogan enjoyed a triumphant return to the winner’s enclosure at Navan as Cast A Spell claimed victory in the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Mares Maiden Hurdle. Guided by 5lb claimer Cian Quirke, the six-year-old mare outpaced odds-on favourite Qualimita to secure the win at 12-1.
Cast A Spell, who broke her maiden on the Flat at Killarney in October, demonstrated significant improvement following her third-place finish in a Listed hurdles event at Cork.
Hogan, best known for training the multiple Group One-winning sprinter Gordon Lord Byron, expressed his satisfaction:
"It took her a while to get the hang of jumping. She was brought down while schooling in Thurles, and it took time for her to regain confidence."
"At Cork, she ran while heavily in season, which we only discovered afterwards. We knew she was better than that run, and she showed her talent today."
"She’s the type that always runs with a bit of a handbrake on, but that’s not a bad thing. Horses like that tend to win plenty of races. It’s fantastic to win a race like this at a festival, especially when you’ve only got a couple of horses in the yard."
Looking ahead, Hogan hinted at targeting more festival opportunities for his promising mare.
Meanwhile, Total Look marked himself as an exciting prospect by taking the Bar One Racing “Price Boosts Across All Channels” 3-Y-O Maiden Hurdle for trainer Gavin Cromwell. The highest-rated Flat runner in the 11-horse field, Total Look moved stylishly under Keith Donoghue, holding off Beyond Your Dreams to win by half a length as the 11-4 favourite.
Cromwell shared his optimism for the three-year-old’s future:
"We bought him as a yearling with juvenile hurdling in mind, and it’s great to see the plan come together. He’s an athletic, sizable horse with plenty of scope for improvement."
"He handled today’s ground beautifully and should be versatile in different conditions. While he’s still immature, that leaves room for growth."
Cromwell also mentioned the potential for Total Look to target future juvenile contests, adding that his progress would be monitored closely.