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Jones on Hennessy trail

Noel Meade is eyeing a crack at the Hennessy Gold Cup for Casey Jones after he made a winning return to action at Punchestown on Thursday.

The eight-year-old was a Grade One winner as a novice last season but had something to prove having been pulled up on his final start in the Irish National at Fairyhouse.

Sent off at 7-2 for this return to action, the gelding travelled zestfully throughout and although One Cool Cookie held a narrow lead jumping the third-last, Paul Carberry sat motionless in behind on Casey Jones.

Soon after, Carberry asked his mount to lengthen and the response was impressive, forging clear between the final two obstacles and coming home a length and a half ahead of Kilcrea Castle.

Meade said: "He jumped brilliant and I suppose we'll go ahead with Plan A now and enter him for the Hennessy (at Newbury).

"Hopefully Denman runs so we get in sitting on the bottom.

"It depends what way the weights work out but if he gets in with a reasonable racing weight we'd have to think about it.

"He doesn't like the ground too soft and he stays well. Some day he might be a National horse and he's a horse you could be thinking about Aintree with."

It was the second leg of a double on the card for Meade and Carberry following the effortless success of Donnas Palm (4-7) in the Ryan's Cleaning Events Specialists Hurdle.

"I'll enter him in the November Handicap and see what way they assess him," said Meade.

"If for some reason Go Native didn't go to the north (Down Royal) that would be an option but he wouldn't run in the November Handicap then. It'll be one or the other.

"I probably overdid it a little bit with him last season and I have to stop myself doing that again. After his next run he'll have to mix it with the big boys."

Champion Bumper runner-up Some Present made the perfect start to his career over obstacles in the Buy Your 2010 Annual Badge Maiden Hurdle.

Tom Mullins' six-year-old found only Dunguib too strong at the Cheltenham Festival in March and was sent off the 13-8 favourite for this event under Davy Russell.

Always travelling kindly, the gelding's jumping was less than convincing, but it did not stop him making stealthy progress to challenge the leaders in the straight and he powered away to score by three lengths.

Mullins said: "The ground was so nice here and it was round here he won his bumper so I thought it was the ideal opportunity to run him and get off the ground.

"He only had two runs last year and if he's going to compete it's a help to get hurdling experience.

"I'm very pleased with the performance but he'll have to improve. He's a very clever horse and adapted well as it went on. I'm very happy with him.

"We've got that over a done with and they'll be plenty of races for him. I think he'll be better over longer and will want two and a half miles.

"I imagine as he ran so well at Cheltenham last year we'll go back there all being well."

There was a sad postscript to the race as Oscar Shine collapsed due to a fractured knee soon after passing the post and had to be put down, while jockey Don Atkinson was taken to hospital as a precaution.

Voler La Vedette turned in an impressive performance to secure her fifth win from just seven starts in the Grabel Hurdle.

Winning trainer Colm Murphy said: "She's improving and is an awful lot stronger this year.

"I imagine she'd go for the race in Down Royal for second season novices. We'll let her decide which route to go this year."