Racing – Leopardstown:Sam Thomas was the major beneficiary of the rescheduled Lexus Chase as he made the switch from Newbury to Leopardstown to score aboard Alex Ferguson's What A Friend. Ferguson was in Dublin 24 hours earlier to see his Hennessy runner-up perform under Barry Geraghty, but the race was abandoned because of thick fog.
With Geraghty required at Newbury, Thomas climbed back aboard the Paul Nicholls-trained runner after the partnership performed with great credit behind Denman at Newbury last month.
As Joncol and Notre Pere traded blows at the head of the field for the lion’s share of the three-mile test, What A Friend cruised around under Thomas and began to take closer order leaving the back stretch.
Joncol had won the battle for the lead heading to the final fence, but Thomas was in his slipstream and grabbed the initiative 100 yards from the finish in a nip-and-tuck climax.
Nicky Richards’ Money Trix (14-1) was the surprise package and despite coming under pressure a long way out, he motored where it mattered and got within a half a length of What A Friend, relegating Joncol into third.
Thomas said: “He travels very well and jumps very well, which makes my life a lot easier. He had to dig deep and it is a long run-in — it felt a long way home from the last.
“I was keen to keep a lead as long as possible and we had something to aim at coming to the last. If you take Denman out he would have been a good winner of the Hennessy and all credit to him for coming here three weeks after that run.
“People thought he was ungenuine in the Hennessy when he wandered about going to the final fence but he was just trying so hard.
“Some great horses like Denman and Beef Or Salmon have won this race so hopefully our horse can go onto bigger and better things, and I think he might come back here for the Irish Hennessy.”
The win was a huge fillip for Thomas, who lost his position as Nicholls’ second jockey late last season and had been replaced by Geraghty for the original Lexus Chase.
He said: “I was disappointed not to be riding the horse in the first place but I got the opportunity today. I need to thank Tom George’s owner Philip Nelson for letting me get off his horse to come over here.
“Barry Geraghty was due to ride him and has a lot of experience around here. Everything happens for a reason and the gods must have been looking down on me.
“Thank goodness for the fog!” .
Solwhitimpressively returned to winning ways to deny Sublimity back-to-back victories in the Leopardstown Golf Centre December Festival Hurdle.
A huge disappointment on his last start behind Go Native in the Fighting Fifth Hurdle at Newcastle, Davy Russell was much more positive on him back on home soil.
Charles Byrnes, so narrowly denied with Weapon’s Amnesty in the Knight Frank Novice Chase on Monday, will have been delighted to see the Aintree Hurdle winner return to his best.
Sublimity made a mistake down the back straight and did well to get back into contention.
But the 8-11 favourite put his stamina to good use early in the straight and won by two lengths. Edward O’Grady’s Jumbo Rio ran well in third, but Muirhead was disappointing for Noel Meade.
Voler La Vedettewill have her mettle tested in the Irish Champion Hurdle on January 24th after she continued her winning spree in the ITBA Fillies Scheme EBF Mares Hurdle.
Trainer Colm Murphy will use the Grade One test as a marker for the five-year-old to determine her Cheltenham Festival target, with the David Nicholson Mares’ Hurdle and the Smurfit Kappa Champion Hurdle her two options.
The 1-3 favourite has few peers amongst her own sex and the winner of seven of her nine starts slaughtered subsequent Fighting Fifth and Christmas Hurdle winner Go Native at Down Royal last month.
Although she lacked the killer turn of foot which was so evident on that occasion, Paul Townend was nicely on top at the death and came two lengths clear of the field.
Murphy said: “Paul said she was doing too much, so dropping her back to two miles with a fast pace will suit her. We will throw her into the deep end now and give her an entry in the Irish Champion Hurdle next month.
“That will tell us where to go afterwards. She will have an entry in the Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham, but the mares’ race is the obvious place to go.”
Western Leaderscraped home to open his account over timber in the Ryans Event Cleaners Maiden Hurdle.
Shark Hanlon’s 7-2 joint-favourite braved the worst of the wind and sleet out in front, and jumped the final flight with a handy advantage.
Andrew McNamara had the Barry Connell-owned five-year-old in his sights, though, and stoked up Acapulco to give chase, with just a short head separating the two runners at the wire.
Hanlon said: “He is a smashing horse and the step up in trip has helped him. He needs bottomless ground and I’ll try and find a two-and-a-half-mile novices’ race for him somewhere.”
McNamara and trainer Edward O'Grady did not have to wait long before heading into the winner's enclosure as they teamed up with the well-backed Fen Game(4-1) in the Paddy Fitzpatrick Memorial Hurdle.
Save The Bacon bravely aimed to make all and was only picked off on the run-in, with McNamara coming from well off the pace to claim his scalp.
O’Grady said: “He ran well the last day and I thought he had come on for it. We put a tongue tie on him today and I don’t know whether that helped, but it certainly did him no harm.
“He will have another couple of runs over hurdles and will then jump a fence, although we will probably wait until the new season to do that.”
There was more joy for Murphy later in the afternoon as former classy bumper performer Zaaritowas not extended to notch a first success over fences in the Ryans Event Cleaners Beginners Chase.
The Denis O’Regan-ridden 7-2 chance sauntered away from the field and was value for far more than his eight-length winning margin.
Murphy said: “He could go up or down in trip and I’m delighted with the manner in which he won. He was misfortunate to come against Captain Cee Bee the last day and we all saw what he did earlier in the week.
“He will more than likely come back here for the Arkle.”
Willie Mullins was left disappointed by the performance of Cooldine in the Lexus Chase, but his son Patrick got the show back on the road aboard Don't Turn Bachin the Affordable Racehorse Ownership At www.winningwaysracing.ie INH Flat Race.
Having been available at 3-1 in the morning, the five-year-old started as the 6-4 favourite and got the better of Our Girl Salley to collect by a length and a quarter.
Mullins said: “He’s a nice horse and is an out-and-out stayer.
“We will probably find a maiden hurdle for him in the new year and he is a chaser in the making.”
Mouse Morris registered his second winner of the four-day meeting as Scavengercame back to form after three falls to cause a 12-1 upset in the Martinstown Opportunity Handicap Chase.
Morris said: “He battled very well and seems to have got his jumping in order.”
Today's Results
11.50 Ryans Event Cleaners M'dn H'dle
1st Western Leader 7/2Jfav
2nd Acapulco 4/1
3rd Rick 7/2Jfav
4th Empire Theatre 12/1
12.20 ITBA Fillies Scheme EBF Mares H'dle
1st Voler La Vedette 1/3fav
2nd No One Tells Me 14/1
3rd Zarinava 14/1
4th College Daisy 22/1
12.55 Paddy Fizpatrick Memorial H'dle
1st Fen Game 4/1
2nd Save The Bacon 8/1
3rd Uncle Tom Cobley 7/2fav
4th New Phase 4/1
1.25 Lexus Chase
1st What A Friend 11/2
2nd Money Trix 14/1
3rd Joncol 7/2
4th Notre Pere 5/1
2.00 Leopardstown Golf December Festival Hdle
1st Solwhit 8/11fav
2nd Sublimity 5/1
3rd Jumbo Rio 13/2
4th De Valira 25/1
2.30 Ryans Event Cleaners Beginners S'chase
1st Zaarito 7/2
2nd Browns Baily 20/1
3rd Sam Adams 5/2fav
4th Deal Done 8/1
3.00 Martinstown Opportunity H'cap S'chase
1st Scavenger 12/1
2nd Tiernan's Terror 8/1
3rd Saddlers Storm 9/2fav
4th What's In Front 16/1
3.30 WinningWaysRacing INH (Pro/Am) Flat Race
1st Don't Turn Bach 6/4fav
2nd Our Girl Salley 8/1
3rd Shuil Dearg 3/1
4th Some Slam 2/1