REPORT FROM NAVAN:NOTRE PERE might have secured Troytown Chase honours at Navan yesterday but it was Pandorama who provided the "wow" factor when maintaining his unbeaten record in scintillating fashion.
Only five might have lined up for the Grade Two Monksfield Novice Hurdle but any suggestion that the race was to all intents a match between the odds-on favourite and Alpha Ridge were dispelled as Pandorama overwhelmed his rival to the tune of 26 lengths.
A chancy leap at the third last was the only blemish in a round that oozed class and propelled Pandorama to 6 to 1 favourite for the Ballymore Properties Novices' Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival. "What can I say only wow!" beamed Noel Meade afterwards and the trainer will bring his new stable star back to the same course and distance in three weeks time for the Grade One Sandra and Barry Kelly Memorial Hurdle.
"He was awesome. He has a huge engine but he is better on soft. I wouldn't like it too quickish for him," he added.
"After the Barry Kelly race we will stop for a while and wait for the spring. But the main thing will be to keep him sound."
There was no such straight-forward result to the featured William Hill Troytown Chase with the complexion of the race changing dramatically at the fifth last.
Chelsea Harbour's habit of jumping to the left caught him out when he collided into both Benefit Night and Beautiful Vision and the concertina effect saw the English raider Officier De Reserve burst through the rails and out of the race.
Tom Doyle was unseated from Chelsea Harbour and was later stood down until Thursday after sustaining severe bruising.
It left the former Grade One winner Notre Pere to engage in a sustained battle with Operation Houdini in which he emerged best by a length to continue trainer Jim Dreaper's historic link with the Troytown.
His father Tom Dreaper was a multiple Troytown winner with horses like the Gold Cup winner Fort Leney (1966) and he also supplied Black Secret to win under his son in 1970.
Jim Dreaper himself trained his own Gold Cup winner Ten Up to finish runner-up to Cottage King in 1974 and trained the 1991 winner River Tarquin.
"The schemozzle helped, but our horse is intelligent and stayed very well," Dreaper said afterwards.
"He might not get into the Paddy Power now so the Welsh National is an option. If some of the good horses stay in, he might get on the right side of 11st."
Notre Pere is a 12 to 1 shot with some firms for Chepstow and is a general 25 to 1 for the Aintree National.
Triumph Hurdle odds of 20 to 1 were floating about after Tharawaat landed the odds in the opener with a minimum of fuss.
He was a first winner trained for the Ryanair boss Michael O'Leary by Gordon Elliot who said: "He loves soft ground and we will run him at Christmas, either in Leopardstown or Limerick."
Apprentice jockey Paul Townend continued his rapid progress across the codes with a four-length victory in the maiden hurdle aboard Willie Mullins's new four-year-old French recruit Mikael D'Haguenet.
"He has more ability than I thought. I bought him to go chasing but he showed me so much we decided to go hurdling instead. He looks a fair recruit," Mullins said.
"I wouldn't be worried about the trip for him. He is bred to stay. I just thought it would be tough for him today against older horses without allowances."
Mullins lost out on a narrow decision to the Beginners' Chase when Top Of The Rock edged out Jayo while his great rival, Noel Meade, also missed out in the bumper as Long Strand short-headed the favourite Roches Point.
