Letter Of Credit to lift Lynch into big time

John McIntyre

MORE often than not, all it takes is one good horse to make a trainer or, at the very least, launch the stable into sporting prominence. Ginger McCain and Red Rum; David Elsworth and Desert Orchid; and Tom Foley and Danoli; were classic examples.

Finding or stumbling across a horse which is a cut above the rest is easier said than done, however. Ask Gerry Lynch for instance. The Craughwell based trainer has been in the game for over 25 years, diligently working away in the hope that one day he might unearth something special.

Lynch finally believes that search is over and anyone who was in Ballybrit last Saturday for the opening day of the Galway October meeting will understand why as Letter Of Credit powered up the hill in the CCTV Venue Control Maiden Hurdle.

Undoubtedly, the six-year-old’s task became significantly less complicated when 5/4 favourite Mount Benbulben clipped heels and slipped up on the flat on the approach to the second last, but the manner in which Letter Of Credit surged clear from his rivals in the final 200 yards suggests the Galway horse would have taken some beating in any event.

Winning jockey Barry Geraghty told Lynch afterwards that he always had “loads of horse” under him and the trainer has little doubt that Letter Of Credit would still have come out on top regardless of the market leader’s hard luck story.

Though Lynch’s strike record has improved over the past 12 months, he has experienced some lean days since his previous best horse, Experimental, visited the winners’ enclosure on nine occasions in a successful career on the flat and over jumps in the late nineties.

But the Co. Galway trainer is certain that Letter Of Credit is already the best horse he has ever handled. Since finishing down the field in his first run at Tipperary in April of last year, the stable star has never been out of the first six in ten subsequent runs, including bumper victories at Limerick and Naas last December and January respectively.Only for getting cau

ght behind a “wall of horses” in the Champion Bumper at the Punchestown festival last April, Lynch believes his pride and joy would have gone close to carrying the day before heading out to grass on his summer holidays.

Two respectable third placed finishes over the smaller obstacles at Clonmel and Punchestown on his return had helped to leave Lynch’s inmate perfectly tuned for his run at Galway last Saturday. Owned by the local No Credit Syndicate, the well supported 2/1 chance stretched clear in the style of a progressive hurdler, having almost five lengths to spare over Ted Dolly at the line.

Lynch believes that a step up trip will help to see Letter Of Credit in even a better light and he intends taking him to the Cheltenham November meeting for a crack at a two mile five furlong novice hurdle. “He is very versatile when it comes to the ground, but the soft conditions didn’t affect him in Galway.

“I believe Letter Of Credit has the potential to be a Gold Cup horse one day as he is a chaser in the making. He will probably stick to hurdles for the rest of the campaign and the plan would be to go for one of the staying novice hurdles at the Cheltenham festival next March.”

For more, read this week's Connacht Tribune.