Advertisement League of Ireland Horse Racing TV Listings GAA Fixtures The Video Review Sport meets news, current affairs, society & pop culture Rugby Weekly Extra Dive into all the news and analysis 3 times a week The Football Family Weekly insights from the week’s big talking points Advertisement More Stories Josh Williamson on I’m Slippy wins The Tattersalls Ireland George Mernagh Memorial Sales Bumper.Morgan Treacy/INPHO FreeHorse Racing I'm Slippy makes no mistakes at Fairyhouse, while Mullins closes in on Skelton in trainers' stakes Valuable victory for Robert Tyner’s charge on Easter Sunday. 6.41pm, 20 Apr 2025 Share options I’M SLIPPY SHOWED plenty of tenacity to win the Tattersalls Ireland George Mernagh Memorial Sales Bumper at Fairyhouse. Trained by Robert Tyner and ridden by Josh Williamson, I’m Slippy was sent off a 9-1 chance on his racecourse bow and he travelled well throughout the valuable two-mile affair. Look Me had first run on him up the inside rail, but I’m Slippy responded to his rider’s urging to emerge a half-length victor, with Early Dawning a further length and a quarter back in third. Tyner said: “He’s never disappointed me since I put my hand on him. He’s a tall, athletic horse. “I was concerned was he too nice to be a really good horse. He’s had a beautiful temperament from the word go. “Josh gave him a nice ride. He’ll have a holiday now and he jumps well.” Jonathan Burke steered Philip Dempsey’s Hillsdale to victory in the BoyleSports, Proud Sponsors Since 2014 Novice Handicap Chase. The leading rider is based in Britain as stable jockey to Fergal O’Brien, but showcased his riding ability back on home soil with a near all-the-way success aboard 6-1 shot Hillsdale in this €50,000 Listed event. Dempsey said: “He’s quirky but talented and switching back to two miles seemed to help. That trip will probably suit him for now. “He’s free and wants to get on with things. He was a very difficult young horse and very hard to break or do anything with. It’s taken him a long time to learn about racing. He’s not the easiest to ride. “We’ll look at Punchestown as it’s the last throw of the dice, but it may come a bit quick.” Grann’s Boy was a 33-1 winner of the Cawley Furniture Novice Handicap Hurdle for Harry Rogers and Darragh O’Keeffe, narrowly denying the 7-2 favourite Sticwiththeprocess by a short head. “I thought he’d run well but I thought the ground was against him. Heavy ground doesn’t really suit him, but it didn’t look that bad and Darragh was very good on him,” said Rogers. Ted and Mark Walsh teamed up to claim top honours in the Sherry Fitzgerald Sherry Rated Novice Chase with 7-2 chance Buachaillbocht, while the Ryan’s Cleaning Maiden Hurdle went to the Tom Cooper-trained Icare d’Aubrelle (100-30), with Jordan Gainford the winning rider. Cooper said: “He’s a horse with a lot of problems but got it together today. He won his bumper easily in Naas and could have been top drawer but for leg trouble. “His legs are good now and he’s crying out for a fence. We’ll put him away now and then go chasing.” Pat Fahy’s stable stalwart Drop The Anchor was a 12-1 winner of the Paddy Kehoe Suspended Ceilings Handicap Hurdle under 7lb claimer Harry Sexton. Advertisement Willie Mullins.Morgan Treacy / INPHO Morgan Treacy / INPHO / INPHO Elsewhere, Absurde helped Willie Mullins reduce Dan Skelton’s lead in the trainer’s championship to £27,877 when leading home a one-two for the defending champion in the BetGoodwin Sussex Champion Hurdle Handicap Hurdle at Plumpton on Sunday. Absurde was one of four contenders for Mullins in the £75,000 feature and having started the day £69,357 adrift of Skelton, the Closutton handler clawed back £58,080 in one hit after Daddy Long Legs (second) and Sir Gerhard (sixth) both picked up a slice of the prize-fund alongside the 9-4 winning favourite. Mr Escobar added £7,290 when second in the concluding Phoenix Cycles Remember Ray Prior Handicap Hurdle to further eat into Skelton’s advantage, with Mullins finishing the day on £3,208,180 and Coral making the Irishman 1-4 to lift the UK champion trainer trophy for the second time at Sandown next Saturday. However, Mullins – who also enjoyed a Grade One double at Fairyhouse and a Cork treble – is refusing to get carried away. Speaking at Fairyhouse, he said: “I’m just taking every race as it comes. It’s going to be hard fought, and Dan seems to have the upper hand now unless things really go our way. “We’ve had a lot of luck in England and it’s hard to think we’ll keep having more. “I just saw the end of the race (at Plumpton) so it looked good. Absurde looked very good and Nico (de Boinville) looked to be going very well on Daddy Long Legs.” Absurde, who has previously won the Ebor and County Hurdle and twice run with credit in the Melbourne Cup, was expertly steered by Harry Cobden, who rode Captain Cody to a key Scottish National success for Mullins last week. Cobden said: “He’s had a tendency to be keen in the past, but we went nice and fast early so I didn’t have any problems there and he settled well and jumped brilliantly. “I thought Harry Skelton (on Knickerbockerglory) would take me into the race and I followed him everywhere, winged the third-last and then it was just a case of keeping a leg each side coming up the straight. “Ruby Walsh, David Casey and Willie all said to have just one go at the last and when you are on a horse with as much class as him, it is easy.” Skelton had taken his lead past £75,000 prior to the afternoon’s feature after Lady Kluck finished third in the opening ExTech Cloud Computing Mares’ Maiden Hurdle and Major Fortune (third) and Hidden Heroics (fourth) both contributed to the pot in the BetGoodwin Master Trainer Chris Gordon Handicap Chase. Knickerbockerglory (fourth) and She’s A Saint (fifth) limited the damage of Absurde’s victory when picking up minor money behind the winner in the main event, while 5-2 favourite Shakeyatailfeather’s game victory in the BetGoodwin Top UK Online Bookie Handicap Chase saw Skelton to a total of £3,236,057. “We’ve got a lot of entries over the coming week, but I’m sure it will come down to Sandown and I’ve said that the whole way through,” Skelton told Sky Sports Racing. “You will see us at all the meetings this week and I’m not giving up. I’ve got too many supporters who are wanting us to do this and want us to do this as much as we do. “So I’m not giving up and if we go and get kicked around the park on Saturday because we haven’t got the right team, then so be it. We’ll have led every day until the last day of the season. “I’m actually enjoying it all as last year we got caught but never really felt like we could win, but this year we have a sporting chance. We’re not the favourites but we’ve a lot of support and it feels fun. It’s a privilege to be the competitor. “At the end of the day we have to enjoy it as we’ve put so much into the season and had an unbelievable year and hopefully that is enough.” Skelton is also drawing inspiration from his father Nick’s long wait for an Olympic showjumping gold medal and Rory McIlroy’s recent Masters triumph, adding: “I remember going to the Athens Olympics with Dad convinced he was going to win and he went into the last round leading, went and had three down and didn’t get a medal. “The disappointment of that just reminds me things can be disappointing then come right afterwards. “I know it’s on a different level, but look how long it took Rory McIlroy to win a Masters. I was watching that last weekend thinking ‘you know what, sometimes it is not meant to be easy’ and hopefully we will get our time one day.” Cobden said: “He’s had a tendency to be keen in the past, but we went nice and fast early so I didn’t have any problems there and he settled well and jumped brilliantly. “I thought Harry Skelton (on Knickerbockerglory) would take me into the race and I followed him everywhere, winged the third-last and then it was just a case of keeping a leg each side coming up the straight. “Ruby Walsh, David Casey and Willie all said to have just one go at the last and when you are on a horse with as much class as him, it is easy.” Skelton had taken his lead past £75,000 prior to the afternoon’s feature after Lady Kluck finished third in the opening ExTech Cloud Computing Mares’ Maiden Hurdle and Major Fortune (third) and Hidden Heroics (fourth) both contributed to the pot in the BetGoodwin Master Trainer Chris Gordon Handicap Chase. Knickerbockerglory (fourth) and She’s A Saint (fifth) limited the damage of Absurde’s victory when picking up minor money behind the winner in the main event, while 5-2 favourite Shakeyatailfeather’s game victory in the BetGoodwin Top UK Online Bookie Handicap Chase saw Skelton to a total of £3,236,057. “We’ve got a lot of entries over the coming week, but I’m sure it will come down to Sandown and I’ve said that the whole way through,” Skelton told Sky Sports Racing. “You will see us at all the meetings this week and I’m not giving up. I’ve got too many supporters who are wanting us to do this and want us to do this as much as we do. “So I’m not giving up and if we go and get kicked around the park on Saturday because we haven’t got the right team, then so be it. We’ll have led every day until the last day of the season. “I’m actually enjoying it all as last year we got caught but never really felt like we could win, but this year we have a sporting chance. We’re not the favourites but we’ve a lot of support and it feels fun. It’s a privilege to be the competitor. “At the end of the day we have to enjoy it as we’ve put so much into the season and had an unbelievable year and hopefully that is enough.” Skelton is also drawing inspiration from his father Nick’s long wait for an Olympic showjumping gold medal and Rory McIlroy’s recent Masters triumph, adding: “I remember going to the Athens Olympics with Dad convinced he was going to win and he went into the last round leading, went and had three down and didn’t get a medal. “The disappointment of that just reminds me things can be disappointing then come right afterwards. “I know it’s on a different level, but look how long it took Rory McIlroy to win a Masters. I was watching that last weekend thinking ‘you know what, sometimes it is not meant to be easy’ and hopefully we will get our time one day.” Press Association Viewcomments Send Tip or Correction Embed this post To embed this post, copy the code below on your site Email “I'm Slippy makes no mistakes at Fairyhouse, while Mullins closes in on Skelton in trainers' stakes”. Recipient's Email Feedback on “I'm Slippy makes no mistakes at Fairyhouse, while Mullins closes in on Skelton in trainers' stakes”. Your Feedback Your Email (optional) Report a Comment Please select the reason for reporting this comment. Please give full details of the problem with the comment... This is YOUR comments community. Stay civil, stay constructive, stay on topic. Please familiarise yourself with our comments policy before taking part. Leave a Comment Submit a report Please help us understand how this comment violates our community guidelines. Damaging the good reputation of someone, slander, or libel. 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