RACING: Handicap king Tony Martin doesn't make a habit of targeting Leopardstown's Pierse Hurdle but the Co Meath trainer zeroed in on yesterday's €130,000 pot with Xenophon and the result was rarely in doubt.It's not often that can be said of a 30-runner handicap, especially with a horse that has had only four previous races in his career. Yet from two flights out in yesterday's feature, Xenophon stood out.
Sure enough rider Mick Fitzgerald sliced his way through the huge pack to track Camden Tanner to the last and didn't have to get too serious to beat the English outsider Colourful Life by two lengths.
Fitzgerald displayed a typically icy nerve throughout the traditional cavalry charge that clocked in at three minutes and 56 seconds for two miles on ground officially described as soft. However, the jockey deflected all the credit to Martin whose other runner in the race, Rare Ouzel, fell at the halfway stage of Ireland's richest handicap hurdle.
Martin's ability to place horses ahead of the handicapper was never better advertised than by Davids Lad's Irish National victory two years ago. But success has mixed uncomfortably with frustration since.
"They were wrong for the last 18 months but a summer off at grass and they've come back well enough," said Martin who couldn't recall having a previous runner in the race.
"This is a wonderful bonus. He has popped a fence already and that's his job. He's a big old-fashioned horse that gallops all day," said Martin who celebrated with the Drogheda-based owners, the Lane syndicate.
"If a person can't get excited after winning a race like that, they never will!" Martin added.
Camden Tanner kept on for third ahead of Emotional Moment but the joint favourites Evening Scent and Some Buzz faded badly from the turn in, finishing 11th and 12th respectively. Tony McCoy managed only 20th on Mr Sneaky Boo but finished ahead of Greywell who was second last despite being right in the firing line at the penultimate flight.
Christy Roche has been known to beat the handicapper in his time too and he managed to find the ideal conditions for Youlneverwalkalone in the Pierse Leopardstown Chase.
Talented but often frustrating in the past, Youlneverwalkalone was helped by the presence of Foxchapel King and Rince Ri at the top of the weights and made the most of the race conditons.
Foxchapel King made him fight but this time there was enough in the tank to hold on by a length under Barry Geraghty.
"I had been thinking of this race because I thought the topweights might stay in. Everything hopped for him today. He has been called a lot of names but I'd love a few like him and he's very close to me.
"He has a lot of ability but tends to finish with blood in his lungs every so often. It depends on how much pressure he is put under." Roche said. This race was off 12 minutes late after a fence had to be dolled off due to smoke from a small fire at the Ballyogan side drifting on to the course.
That was only marginally more of a surprise than Ten Poundsworth's 25 to 1 shock in the Grade Three novice chase.
The complete outsider of the field put himself into the SunAlliance picture by beating Ground Ball on his first start since April but neither Lisburn trainer George Stewart or Co Down owner Richard McLoughlin were there to see it.
"It's a wee bit unexpected," admitted assistant trainer Leo Gracy who rode the horse to win the hunter chase at Leopardstown last February. "He jumps for fun and that's what won it for him. Up in the North we don't have gallops like down there but whatever we did worked" he added.
Despite Xenophon and Youlneverwalkalone's valuable victories they didn't win their handicaps with the same elan as Georges Girl who won the Morris race by 11 very easy lengths. "She's a bit excitable and as it was her first handicap I wasn't sure how she would perform. She could just as well have stood at the start," trainer Francis Flood said.
The phone will be busy at Eddie Hales's yard after Vodka Bleu's impressive winning debut in the bumper. "He is very good and there would have been tears if he hadn't won. But he is very green - like his trainer.
"The owners might keep him but I doubt it. There was a fair bit of interest before today but they have to go and do it. He could do no more than win," Hales said. Vodka Bleu did enough to earn a 33 to 1 quote from Powers for the Cheltenham bumper.
