PAVILION ON FIRE IN WARRIOR

Ian Fortune

Aidan McVeigh and Richard Irwin would have travelled to Mullingar on Sunday evening with hopes that Pavilion Fire would continue his exceptional run of form in the final of the €4,000 RPGTV Fair Warrior Open 400.

They needn’t have worried as the powerful son of Good News and Bubbly Firebird did exactly what he had done in each of the three preliminary rounds, storming up the straight to collar the long-time leader So Its Rapid on the line.

A GREAT NIGHT AND A WONDERFUL FINISH

Obviously, the Fair Warrior was the standout race on the card and it was fitting that the feature provided the best finish of the night.

The aptly named So Its Rapid flew from trap four to dictate from the start. Normal flying starters Zippy Caning and Hawkfield Ava missed the start and this certainly aided Pavilion Fire as it meant he had a clean passage into and around the opening turn behind So Its Rapid.

However, Pavilion Fire needed every inch of the long back straight as So Its Rapid was showing no signs of let up in front. In fact, halfway down the back straight, it seemed that So Its Rapid had done enough to hold on only for Pavilion Fire to engage an extra gear.

For the fourth week running, the June ’21 whelp flew to the line to emerge on top. It was a display of power, pace and pure determination with Pavilion Fire emerging a thoroughly deserving winner by a head in 21.43. So Its Rapid played his part in making this a contest to remember, while third spot went to Boylesports Coco, just a length and a half further adrift.