It's For Me another promising type for OJA

With the UK jumping programme decimated once again due to the weather, the thaw reached Ireland much quicker with Navan getting the go ahead. Declan Phelan's Irish Pointers section in OJA had another rewarding afternoon with two more winners. There was carnage in the opening novice hurdle with Path D'Oroux (3/1) appreciating the drop in class. Beaten in Grade 1 events at Fairyhouse and Leopardstown, Gavin Cromwell's six year old was left with one to beat after the second last and he stayed on well to score by nearly five lengths. It will be interesting to see if he is entered in something like the County Hurdle at Cheltenham in the spring because he looks short of the top flight.

The performance of the day though came from It's For Me in the bumper. Formerly trained by Stuart Crawford to win an Irish point, the five year old joined Willie Mullins during the summer. While it was a race which lacked any depth, the Jeu St Eloi gelding cruised through the contest before pulling away inside the final quarter of a mile. A ten lengths winner, he is as short as 4/1 for the Cheltenham Festival bumper. It was a case of style over substance but he is another potentially exciting prospect for One Jump Ahead. Declan's Irish pointers have been in superb form.