Banbridge rose in the final step to deny Captain Guinness a champion chase double in a pulsating rematch of the main event on the opening day of the Punchestown Festival.
Nine runners lined up for the William Hill Champion Chase, with Mares’ Chase runner-up Dinoblue the 11/10 favorite to beat the boys and give Willie Mullins his sixth successive victory in this extended two-mile race. brought competition.
Henry de Bromhead’s Captain Guinness was looking to build on victory in his last appearance in the Queen Mother Champion Chase at the Cheltenham Festival and looked set to do so after replacing the pace-setting Dysart Dynamo at the top of the home straight under Rachael Blackmore.
Mark Walsh was more forceful in the saddle at the back of Dinoblue, and although she responded to the pressure to get close to Captain Guinness at the final obstacle, she could not come to terms.
However, captain Guinness was then caught by Joseph O’Brien’s quick 6/1 shot Banbridge on the run-in.
The eight-year-old, who had disappointed in a Ryanair Chase on soft ground at Cheltenham, wore cheekpieces for the first time on this shorter trip and needed every meter of it to secure top honors with a throat hit at the hands of JJ Slevin, with Dinoblue another length and a quarter away in third.
“It was a fantastic race, a great two mile chase and a fantastic ride from JJ. I’m delighted for Ronnie (Bartlett, owner) and everyone that we have a big winner here at Punchestown,” said O’Brien.
“It wasn’t our day at Cheltenham but we’re delighted to win a big race here today. He was a fantastic horse and Ronnie’s patience in the autumn when the ground wasn’t suitable for us really won the race for us.” Today we were ready to run and had to wait.
“We know the conditions under which the horse performs, that’s pretty obvious if you look at all of his runs. On better ground his runs are all very good – and when it gets softer, for some reason the performance isn’t as good.”
“We took the chance at Cheltenham because it’s Cheltenham, but it didn’t work out. We freshened him up to come here and I’m excited to win a big race with him.”
Bartlett added: “He’s a great horse, it was a great race and he was trained perfectly. It’s going to be a quiet night tonight, go to bed early!”
“Two or three failures, you thought he might be placed, but in the last game he showed some agility.”
Spillane’s Tower holds back Monty’s Star
Spillane’s Tower and Monty’s Star delivered a thriller in the Dooley Insurance Group Champion Novice Chase, but it was the former who prevailed for Jimmy Mangan and completed a Grade One double for Mark Walsh following Mystical Power’s victory earlier in the day.
After being sent off at 5/2 the joint favorites, the leaders were half a length apart going into the final lap, but Spillane’s Tower found plenty under the Walsh drive to hold on to the finish line.
Three Card Brag was back in third place, Sandor Clegane was fourth of the seven participants.