Road To Riches makes all for Down Royal win

Road To Riches put up a most impressive front-running performance to take the JNWine.com Champion Chase at Down Royal.

Winner of the Galway Plate in the summer, the Noel Meade-trained seven-year-old was race-fit having been beaten a head by Sizing Europe over two and a half miles at the start of last month, and Paul Carberry was positive from the off.

He jumped to his left on occasion but was always seemingly travelling within himself and had everything on the stretch going to two out. The 9-2 chance safely negotiated the final couple of fences, running on strongly to see off Rocky Creek, with 9-4 favourite Boston Bob third. Cheltenham Gold Cup runner-up On His Own was the first of the principals to be beaten.

Don Cossack gave further notice he could be a real force this year with an all-the-way success in the Powers Irish Whiskey Chase.

The Gordon Elliott-trained gelding has long had a huge reputation, but has not always found things going his way. However, he returned to action this season with victory in a Grade Three at Punchestown and built on that in the hands of Bryan Cooper.

Wonderful Charm did his best to give the winner a race, in a bid to give Paul Nicholls a seventh straight win in the two-and-a-half-mile contest, but was never able to really threaten as Don Cossack (6-4) powered clear to the last, staying on very strongly from there.