National Trial Aim For Son Of Mahler

A return to three miles saw Ah Littleluck (9g Mahler - Star Of Hope) run out an easy winner of the Beginners Chase at Navan on Saturday.

Second on his chase debut over the same distance, he was later placed over shorter trips and also benefitted from a break over the Christmas period. Ridden towards the back of the field by David Mullins, the Tom Gibney-trained bay was travelling well when taking third approaching the second last and soon led, extending his advantage to nine and a half lengths on the line.

Gibney, who trains the winner for Kevin Haigney, commented after the race, “He’s normally a spring/summer horse so we gave him a break and I wasn’t sure whether he was quite fit enough for this. We’re keen to test him over an extreme distance and we’re looking at running him in the National Trial at Punchestown next month.”

Bred by Robert McCarthy of The Beeches Stud, Ah Littleluck’s dam is a half-sister to the eight-time winner Scoop The Pot, also by Mahler. Mahler commands a fee of €5,500 in 2019.