Ex-pointer An Tobar wins 'well'

Easy point-to-point winner An Tobar scored on his 646-day reappearance run today, landing Fairyhouse's Winter Festival Maiden Hurdle under Rachael Blackmore, to provide Henry De Bromhead with a double.

A 20-lengths Ballyvodock point-to-point winner in January 2022, Gentlewave-gelding didn't race last season but today reappeared the heavily-supported 8/13 favourite.

Racing prominently, Blackmore moved An Tobar — translated to 'the (drinking) well' in Irish, to lead in the home straight, with the pair comfortably beating Champagne Admiral

De Bromhead, earlier successful with the Darragh O'Keeffe-partnered Potters Party was represented by his and Robcour's representative Robbie Power who said “he had a little bit of a setback last year so we had to ease off him but he's been doing everything nicely at home.

“He's a big horse and in the long run it might have been the best thing that ever happened to him, to give him a bit of time to develop and grow into himself. We're were hoping he'd go and do that today.”

He added “we'll have a look at options but he'll be put into the Royal Bond (Grade 1 at today's venue) and there is also the 2m4f (Grade 2) at Navan so there are plenty of options. He does stay well so we'll see what Henry wants to do with him.”