Leopardstown racing:Last Instalment recorded his third victory from as many starts over fences with a superb performance in the Topaz Fort Leney Novice Chase at Leopardstown. The Gigginstown House Stud-owned 11-4 shot was taking the step up to Grade One level for the first time following victories at Galway and Punchestown.
With Gigginstown-retained jockey Davy Russell having decided to ride 7-4 favourite First Lieutenant, Brian O’Connell partnered Philip Fenton’s Last Instalment, whose jumping impressed throughout the three-mile journey.
He quickened past Allee Garde in the home straight and safely negotiated the final obstacle to secure a six-length win.
First Lieutenant made a bad mistake at the fence before the straight, but stayed on powerfully after the last to grab the runner-up spot.
A return to three miles was no problem for Voler La Vedetteas she ran out a most impressive winner of the woodiesdiy.com Christmas Hurdle.
The seven-year-old had comprehensively beaten the reopposing Mourad in the two-and-a-half-mile Hatton’s Grace Hurdle at Fairyhouse earlier this month, but the latter was the odds-on favourite to turn the tables over this longer trip.
Ruby Walsh kicked for home first on the market leader, but Andrew Lynch cut a confident figure on the Colm Murphy-trained Voler La Vedette (13-8), who easily pulled clear of her main rival rounding the home bend.
She then stayed on powerfully after jumping the last to score by four and three-quarter lengths, securing her third successive victory — and her first over this trip.
Voler La Vedette is declared to run in Thursday’s Istabraq Festival Hurdle over two miles, but is unlikely to take her chance.
Murphy said: “She was in great form and came out of her last race very well. She has loads of options, she could go back to two miles or have another three-mile race.
“She’s in tomorrow but that’s just an option in case something happened today. I would love to run her, but it probably wouldn’t be the right thing to do. I had my heart set on the race tomorrow since the last day but after the ground dried up there was no decision.
“She’s a different mare this year as she settles so well.”
Lynch added: “She settled well today and settled well in her last two races. It was a truly run race. She travelled real well to the turn in and she picked up well.”
Star Of Aragon (12-1)edged a thrilling renewal of the Mongey Communications Novice Handicap Hurdle.
There was little to choose between James Nash’s charge and Leah Claire jumping the final obstacle, but Star Of Aragon won that battle.
Early pacesetter Cairdin was only third at that hurdle, but he came back tenaciously on the run for home and was only a neck behind.
Nash said: “He’s great, he’s a right little horse and there’s not a lot of him. Obviously he wants real nice ground and we took a chance here hoping it would be decent ground — he got bogged down in Fairyhouse the last day.
“The plan was to give him a break and come back in the summer. He has won at Galway and hopefully we’ll get in at the bottom of the Galway Hurdle.
“Whether he gets an entry in the Boylesports Hurdle we’ll decide in the next couple of days.”
Point-to-point and bumper winner Make Your Markmade a hugely impressive start to his career over timber in the Madigans Maiden Hurdle.
The 4-5 favourite had won by 11 lengths at Punchestown last month and Davy Russell was keen to keep close to the pace on this sounder surface.
Hurdling fluently, the Willie Mullins-trained four-year-old was sent to the front heading down the back straight and his opponents were toiling from the home turn.
Russell gave his mount his head in the straight and readily pulled clear to beat main market rival Competitive Edge by 10 lengths.
Mullins said: “Davy was very pleased with him. I told him not to worry if there was no pace as he could make his own way home. He’ll go the novice hurdle route.
“We were afraid earlier in the season that he would be too keen but he does seem to settle in his races. He’ll move up the pecking order after that. He doesn’t do anything flashy at home but when you ask him a question he answers it.
“I thought he might be more of a stayer, but he shows more class than I thought.”
Mullins and McCoy successfully teamed up with 9-4 favourite Quiscover Fontainein the Star Best For Racing Coverage Rated Hurdle, while the champion trainer completed a treble for the day with The Bosses Cousin(11-10 favourite) in the concluding bumper.