Olly Murphy has grand plans for easy Bangor winner Junker d’Allier

Olly Murphy will consider the Formby Novices’ Hurdle as a big-race target for Junker d’Allier following an impressive display at Bangor on Wednesday.

Runner-up in each of his three starts in the bumper sphere last season, the five-year-old opened his account on his jumping debut at Carlisle last month and was a 4-6 favourite to follow up under a 7lb penalty in division one of the Field & Falcon Novices’ Hurdle.

Those who took the cramped odds will have had few concerns, with Junker d’Allier drawing clear of his rivals before the home turn and surviving a minor scare at the final obstacle to score by six and a half lengths.

“He’s a good horse I think,” Murphy told Sky Sports Racing.

“You get disappointed when a horse doesn’t win a bumper and you think they can’t be a good horse. He got beat in three bumpers, but jumping is his forte and he’s a lovely, staying horse for the future.”

The Kapgarde gelding will now have his sights raised, with a step up to Grade One level at Aintree on Boxing Day for a race formerly known as the Tolworth Hurdle a potential port of call.

Murphy added of the Sean Bowen-ridden winner: “We’re going to have to step him up in grade now. Whether he’s a horse for a Tolworth or not I don’t know. We’ve a lot of horses in the same kind of category as this lad that have gone and done what he’s done, which is a nice position to be in.

“We’ll definitely step him up in grade, whether we look at Cheltenham in December for a two-mile novice hurdle or we look at Aintree for the Tolworth.

“I thought he was a staying horse, but he’s actually got a turn of foot, so I’ll definitely be keeping at two miles for the time being.”

Junker D’allier’s rider was completing a double on the card, having earlier steered Gordon Elliott’s Irish raider Shecouldbeanything to victory in the feature Yorton Mares’ Novices’ Chase.

The 7-2 shot was bidding for a four-timer following a hat-trick of autumn wins on home soil, including a Grade Three triumph at Tipperary, but looked unlikely to extend her winning sequence for much of this Listed contest as she was struggling to keep up at the rear of the field.

Cheltenham Festival-winning hurdler You Wear It Well appeared in control turning for home, but Bowen kept pushing and shoving aboard Shecouldbeanything and she finished with a flourish, getting up to beat You Wear It Well by a length and three-quarters.

“You can see why she’s won as many races as she has with an attitude like that, she really wanted it, which was key,” said Bowen.

“I spoke to Gordon half an hour ago and I said I’d make plenty of use of her, she’s got the experience and stays well, but I lined up and couldn’t go the gallop. She’s obviously been winning over two-and-a-half and she probably needs every yard of two and a half miles.”

Elliott doubled up with the James Bowen-ridden Beaufort Scale (2-1) in the Overton Novices’ Hurdle.

The training partnership of Oliver Greenall and Josh Guerriero also enjoyed two winners, with the JP McManus-owned Jagwar (5-2) striking gold in the Paul Ferguson Jumpers To Follow Handicap Chase under Jonjo O’Neill before Gentleman Bill (13-2) edged out I’m A Lumberjack by a short head in division two of the two-mile novice hurdle in the hands of Henry Brooke.

The French-based team of Noel George and Amanda Zetterholm claimed a second juvenile winner in Britain in as many days as 10-11 favourite Do It Again landed the Wynnstay EBF Junior ‘National Hunt’ Hurdle to supplement Midnight Exit’s success at Hereford on Tuesday.

Michael O’Sullivan, who rode both horses, said of Do It Again: “I met the last couple (of hurdles) on bad strides as we were going that bit quicker than he’d have been used to, but he’s a lovely big horse and won with loads in hand.

“I had to make my own running, which wouldn’t be ideal for a horse first time out. He was having a good look in front, but every time I asked him for more he gave it to me.

“He’s a lovely horse to look forward to.”