Racing:Captain Chris followed up his Arkle Trophy success with a hard-fought win over Realt Dubh in the Ryanair Novice Chase.
Philip Hobbs’ Cheltenham Festival hero was given a fright by Noel Meade’s runner, but had enough in the tank to pull away close home to justify odds of 4-6.
Saludos soon chalked up a handy lead but there was drama when Osirixamix fell at the second fence.
Captain Chris joined the pacesetter four out and took a narrow advantage, though Realt Dubh was not far away.
There was still all to play for at the last with Captain Chris, ridden by Richard Johnson, always just having the upper hand and prevailing by a length and a quarter.
“We have always thought two miles was a bit short for him but he did win the Arkle," Hobbs said. “We have talked about going further but nevertheless he is effective over two miles.
“Ideally we would like to find a two-and-a-half-mile race somewhere to start him off next season. I haven’t got anything obvious, but maybe the Amlin Chase at Ascot which is two mile three might be the place to go, or maybe the Haldon Gold Cup at Exeter which is two and a quarter.
“I suppose we’d be half-thinking the King George but that’s three miles and we don’t really know if that is the thing to be doing yet.”
Another Jewel (100-30) just denied long-time leader Let The Show Begin in a thrilling finish to the Avon Ri Corporate & Leisure Resort Chase for the La Touche Cup.
Let The Show Begin, who had taken the wrong course in the Ladies’ Cup here on Tuesday, had all of his rivals hard at it in the final stages of the four-mile-one-furlong test.
Another Jewel kept tabs on him and there was little between the pair over the last two jumps. It was nip and tuck on the run to the line with John Cullen’s mount grabbing the spoils by a short head.
“It was very tense and we were a bit unfortunate on Tuesday when two of ours turned-in in front and went wide at the bend,” said trainer Denis Murphy. “I thought the same thing was going to happen again but we got away with it.
“John knows him inside out and won on him in France last year in Lyon. We hope to go back there again.”
The race lost a lot of its gloss with the late absence of the lame Garde Champetre. His intended rider Nina Carberry switched to veteran Heads Onthe Ground, who finished third.
Tornedo Shay relished a step up in trip to comfortably take the AON Hurdle.Thomond O'Mara's charge had not disgraced himself in Grade Two company on his three previous starts, yet was sent off at 16-1.
He travelled sweetly for Phillip Enright, who sent him into the lead after the second-last, and he kept on strongly to beat Son Amix by four lengths.
The Nicky Henderson-trained 6-4 favourite Prince Of Pirates was never able to strike a blow and was well held.
“It was his first time over two and a half miles. We needed to go that far to get his jumping his order,” said O’Mara. “The Galway Hurdle is at the back of my mind, with the ground being better, and we’ll probably go for a Flat campaign with him now.”
Tony McCoy kept up his winner-a-day ratio at the Festival when striking on the JP McManus-owned Dr Whizz in the Kildare Post Handicap Chase.
Taking the lead from the pacesetting Echo Bob at the second-last, the Tom Mullins-trained 7-2 joint-favourite pulled away to win by nine lengths from Coscorrig.
“He’s done it nicely in that class. He was a bit unlucky at Gowran when he fell. The fences are there to be jumped and he missed out on one,” said McManus. “Tom and his staff had him looking great and thankfully he delivered.”
The concluding Irish Sun INH Flat Racewas then claimed in really impressive fashion by the Jessica Harrington-trained Burn And Turn (13-2).