Racing:Tony McCoy guided 5-1 favourite Colbert Station to a clear-cut victory in the Paddy Power Chase. With over €100,000 on offer to the winner, the three-mile handicap was unsurprisingly fiercely competitive, but Colbert Station won as he liked.
Trained by Ted Walsh, the dual course winner had all of his rivals cooked rounding the home turn and jumped the last well to seal a five-and-a-half-length win over the staying-on Romanesco.
“I got a very good ride off him," McCoy said. "He travelled very well and jumped very well. I was worried that I was in front a little bit soon because Ted was telling me not to try and get him in a battle, but he actually travelled too well thorough the race and when I went on with him two out, I was trying to get him to relax.
“It’s great to ride a winner for Ted but this must go down to Frank (Berry, racing manager to owner JP McManus). We had seven in the race and Frank was fairly adamant that I ride this horse, as adamant as Frank gets.
“I know that obviously I owe this to Ted but also to Frank, as he put me on the right one.
“It’s great to ride a winner for the Walshs. I told Ruby’s mother that I wanted to see a picture of me above the fireplace and not him!”
Walsh added: “He jumped well, he travelled well, he’s done everything right and Tony gave him a lovely ride. I suppose he looked a winner from a long way out. I had doubts about whether he’d stay or not and I thought from the back of the last that he was running a little bit on empty but he kept going really well.
“They went a ferocious gallop up front and he jumped his way into it. For a horse having his fifth run over fences, he never put a foot astray. It’s a great day for me. I’ve known the McManus’s all my life but I’ve known Tony since he was about 12 years of age. He (Colbert Station) is by Witness Box, who has been a great sire and this is a fine horse by him. Maybe the best might be yet to come.”