G1 glory for Flemensfirth’s Coney Island

Coney Island (5g Flemensfirth-Millys Gesture, by Milan) provided Flemensfirth with another G1 win at Fairyhouse with landing the G1 Drinmore Novice Chase.

J P McManus’s five-year-old, who was bred by Pat Tobin, was having only his second start over fences as he came home two and a quarter lengths clear of a classy field in the 2m 4f event.

"He travelled and jumped great. He won like a proper horse and I hope he is a proper horse,” said trainer Eddie Harty. “If he comes out of it well we'll look at the three-mile race at Christmas, which is only three weeks away. Either that or we’ll leave him off until the good novice (G1 P J Moriarty Chase) in Leopardstown (in February).

"He has a lot of toe. He won well in his maiden over two last Christmas. We decided to take a chance upping for the novice handicap here over three and he revelled in it.

"He ran a blinder and you might have said he was a touch unlucky in the Grade 1 at Punchestown. We had a Grade 1 horse so treated him as such and he proved it today.

"You'd like to think he's a Gold Cup horse, but you hate to say those things, you need a lot to go right."