O'Leary hits out at false starts

MICHAEL O'LEARY slammed a rash of false starts at this week's Cheltenham Festival as “a bloody nonsense”.

- David Yates

The O'Leary-sponsored Ryanair Mares' Novices' Hurdle - the Willie Mullins-trained Maughreen was left trailing the field after whipping round at the start - was one of three races on Thursday's card in which the runners were called back by the starter.

The fixture's first two days were also plagued by false starts and O'Leary said: “It’s a bloody nonsense.