Nickname makes grade on great day for Brassil

Numbersixvalverde provided Martin Brassil and "Slippers" Madden with their greatest day of all in last April's Grand National. But the encouraging return of that Aintree hero and the Grade One success of Nickname means yesterday will rank pretty high too.

It was at this meeting last year that Nickname originally slipped almost unnoticed under the radar from France to launch his chasing career with a spectacular success. And although the manner of his victory in the Paddy Power Dial-A-Bet Chase was very different, it was just as impressive.

Instead of making all the running in very testing conditions, Nickname was yesterday held up by Madden, who bided his time as Central House and Jim set a suicidal pace in the heavy ground.

Managing to escape the sprawling limbs of Jim, who exited at the second last, Nickname eased through at the final fence to scamper clear of his old rival, Central House, who in the circumstances did well to restrict the margin to some 14 lengths.

"He's definitely better this year," said Brassil after Nickname replicated an earlier Grade One victory, when trained in France. "They looked to go a bit fast in front and Niall said he loved following horses. In fact the more he took him back, the more he wanted to go on."

It was impressive enough for some firms to halve Nickname's Champion Chase odds to 16 to 1 but Brassil again emphasised the need for testing going at Cheltenham in March.

"There are conditions races at Punchestown (Tied Cottage Chase) and at Naas (Newlands Chase) he could go for, as well as a new race in Ascot in February," the Curragh trainer said.

"We'll make the Cheltenham entry but there would have to be cut in the ground for us to be tempted."

Later in the day, Numbersixvalverde made an encouraging return to action in the three-mile handicap hurdle, running on to be fourth behind the favourite, Dosco, whose impressive recent improvement in form enabled him to easily defy a 17lb penalty under jockey Conor Maxwell.

"I think we'll give him January off and then go back chasing," said Dosco's trainer Dessie Hughes.

As for Numbersixvalverde, all roads lead back to Liverpool; he is unchanged for a second National success at 14 to 1.

De Valira put himself to the forefront of the Supreme Novices betting at Cheltenham with a narrow defeat of the favourite, Catch Me, in the Grade Future Champion Hurdle that was no surprise to the Michael O'Brien team.

"We can breathe now," said O'Brien's assistant, Denis Cullen.

"He's been held in very high regard for a very long time and he's now starting to fulfil his potential. The sky's the limit for this fella. He's got speed and he stays well."

In contrast to the Dial-A-Bet, this race was run at a funereal early pace and though Catch Me, who remains an 8 to 1 shot himself for the Ballymore Properties Hurdle, burned off everything else before the last, Andrew Lynch produced De Valira to run the favourite out of it by a neck.

Lynch was, however, severely cautioned by the stewards after his horse drifted left.

Barry Geraghty had better luck in the maiden hurdle, where another ex-French horse, Kendor Dine, took it up at the last to win impressively for the in-form Eoin Griffin stable.

"He came with a big reputation from France but he just didn't take to jumping immediately," said Griffin.

"His last couple of runs have been better and we'll consider the Pierse now."

Island Life surprised the champion trainer Noel Meade when winning his maiden at Clonmel and did the same when sluicing up in the opening juvenile hurdle while wearing his all-important blinkers.

It was enough for some firms to make Island Life a 25 to 1 shot for the Triumph Hurdle but Meade said, "If you saw this horse work, you couldn't fancy him at all. He worked that bad the other day, I was wondering if we should run him. But the blinkers wake him up and he's really good at his hurdles.

"When we decided we were going to go hurdling with him, we started doing a lot of schooling right through last spring and summer. It looks to be paying off now. We'll have to look at the Cashmans Hurdle back here on Hennessy day, and being by Turtle Island, it looks like soft ground suits him very well."

Meade's horse Mick The Man was a hot favourite for the bumper but even Nina Carberry couldn't get him past Notre Pere, who will now go hurdling after winning on the level at the fourth time of asking.