Geraghty brings Glenloe home at Navan

More from Navan, where Gordon Elliott saddled a four-timer with help from Bryan Cooper, Barry Geraghty and Jamie Codd.

Gordon Elliott was once again the follow on a big Sunday in Ireland when sending out a treble at Navan.

Having taken the feature Navan Novice Hurdle with Death Duty, Automated came from last to first to give Elliott and jockey Bryan Cooper a quickfire double in the Tara Handicap Hurdle.

Last year's winner Rossvoss cut out the early pace with Automated's stablemate Clarcam until the race began to heat up with three flights left to jump.

Scoir Mear, the strongly-supported 3/1 favourite, took it up from two out, but Automated (8/1) came with a telling run to skip clear after the last and win by a length and a quarter.

The first two pulled 20 lengths clear of Gurteen in third place.

Elliott said: "Bryan gave him a peach of a ride. Ideally, he wants to be a length or two down at the last and come with one run as he does not like to be in front too long. The conditions suited and the track suited him.

"He'll have a little break now and we'll freshen him up for one of the Festivals in the spring."

Glenloe then gave Elliott a 55/1 treble when just getting the better of Call The Taxie after a prolonged battle in the John Lynch Carpets Maiden Hurdle.

The 6/4 favourite, ridden by Barry Geraghty for owner JP McManus, was made to fight every inch of the way to see off a game adversary by a neck.

The leading pair pulled 26 lengths clear of the third horse, A Rated.

Elliott said: "He's a grand horse but it was probably a weak enough race. He had his head in front at the right time. He's bred to be a staying chaser as he's a brother of Alfie Sherrin and that's definitely going to be his game."

The last of the trainer's winners at Navan came in the 'Future Champions' INH Flat Race when megabucks purchase Samcro maintained his unbeaten record under Jamie Codd.

Bought for £335,000 at the Aintree Sale after winning a point last April, he followed in the hoofprints of Death Duty and Gold Cup hero Don Cossack, who both win this contest for the same connections.

Codd had to ask him for everything as he idled close home, but he'd done enough to hold off Good Thyne Tara by half a length.

"Jamie said he would have done more with a better gallop, but he's another nice horse with a bright future," said the trainer.

"I imagine we'll put him away to have one more run at Fairyhouse or Punchestown and that will be it for the season. He's not slow, but he stays, and he'd definitely be a two-and-a-half-mile, three-mile hurdler next year."

Of 2016 Gold Cup winner Don Cossack himself, Elliott had offered a reasonably positive bulletin when speaking to At The Races.

"When a horse has an injury like he has, every day is his last, but he's been back cantering 16 weeks now and I couldn't be happier with him," he said. "The Gold Cup is the plan. The Kinloch Brae Chase might just come soon enough now, but I migth look at the Red Mils at Gowran.

"He'll probably have an entry for Leopardstown (and the newly-renamed Stan James Irish Gold Cup) but I'd prefer to keep it low-key and give him a good day out."

Cilaos Emery (5/4) made most of the running to make a winning debut over jumps in the Irish Stallion Owners EBF Maiden Hurdle for jockey Ruby Walsh and trainer Willie Mullins.

Mullins said: "I liked him at Punchestown in his bumper where I thought he was exceptional, and he showed that again here.

"He was against proven stayers and point-to-point horses, took them on from the front and was going away from them.

"He will go for a novice now and should improve away over the season."

Sandra Hughes struck with Total Recall (9/2) in the Prancer and Dancer Rated Novice Chase under Roger Loughran.

Loughran said: "He's a good, tough sort, and I knew he'd put the race to bed when I jumped the last."

The judge could not split Gerard Keane's Effernock Lad (11/2) and the Eddie Cawley-trained Flemenstorm (12/1) in the Round O Pub & Restaurant Handicap Chase after the pair shared the spoils following a spirited battle on the run-in.