Porter floors Listowel rivals in Kerry National domination

Dual Stayers’ Hurdle hero Flooring Porter galloped his rivals into submission to secure a runaway victory in the Guinness Kerry National at Listowel.

A Cheltenham Festival winner in 2021 and 2022, Gavin Cromwell’s stable star belatedly switched to fences last season before reverting back to the smaller obstacles and finishing second in his bid for a Stayers’ Hurdle hat-trick at Prestbury Park in March.

The nine-year-old was well beaten on his return from a break in a handicap chase at Killarney in July, but roared right back to his brilliant best in County Kerry in the hands of Keith Donoghue.

Sent straight to the lead from the off, Flooring Porter jumped fluently in the main and had already built up a healthy lead over the chasing pack when his nearest pursuer, Patrick Neville’s British raider The Real Whacker, unseated Sam Twiston-Davies racing down the back straight.

From there on the result never really looked in any doubt, with Donoghue still sitting pretty in front rounding the home turn and while Horantzau D’airy made some late headway, 6-1 shot Flooring Porter was well on top as he passed the post with four and a quarter lengths in hand.

“What do you say, it’s brilliant. He went hard and I have to say I was praying for him across every fence on the last circuit,” said Cromwell.

“He just kept the revs up and it was a brilliant performance.”

When asked if he thought his charge, might stop in front, he added: “No, that wasn’t a worry, I was just afraid that he might just miss one or something.

“He was in serious shape. When he gets into that rhythm there is no stopping him, he’ll just keep it going.

“Keith said he was just a passenger, he couldn’t go any slower! What do you do, just try to meet the jumps the best you can.

“This has been the plan since Cheltenham basically. We can always go back over hurdles as well but I don’t know where we go next. It’s a brilliant race to win and we’ll enjoy this.

“He’s been a horse of a lifetime, for me and for the syndicate.”