Kings Hill claims Munster National glory

Kings Hill provided father and son Paul and Danny Gilligan with a first success together in Ireland when running away with the BOYLE Sports JT McNamara Munster National at Limerick.

The seven-year-old looked to be getting the better of a two-horse battle with long-time leader Anyway in the Grade Three feature when his main rival took a crashing fall two fences from home.

Anyway’s exit after a brave attempt to make all under Darragh O’Keefe allowed 11-1 shot King’s Trail to coast home 10 lengths clear of Littlefoot in the hands of Danny Gilligan, who only arrived back from Far Hills on Sunday morning after finishing third in the American Grand National on Gordon Elliott’s Zanahiyr.

The trainer said: “Danny was in America last night so fair play to him. People might think it is great flying out to ride a horse, but it is a big commitment.

“Any race is good to win but when you’re winning these races it is always better when your own lads are riding these winners. It is extra special.”

While Anyway’s rider escaped unscathed, the eight-year-old who finished second to Caldwell Potter at the Cheltenham Festival last year was fatally injured.

“It was not a nice way to win with Anyway falling,” Gilligan added.

“But it is good for Paul Lyons, Kings Hill’s co-owner who is in Cyprus today, it’s important for the breeder Jimmy Lawler, from Kilkenny, and we bought the horse from Tony Costello.

“For small yard like ours, it is not easy to find these horses but we have good supporters in the yard, so I’m delighted.”

Gilligan trained Kings Hill to win the valuable Guinness Galway Blazers Handicap Chase at the Festival in late July before a disappointing run in the Kerry National at Listowel.

After observing that the gelding fares better going right-handed, the trainer is planning a return to Ballybrit for the big one next summer.

He said: “My dream would be to win a Galway Plate, so we’ll look at that next year.

“I thought we shouldn’t have gone to Listowel as it is a different track to Galway, where he had previously won, but he won well today.”