'You could close your eyes on him' - Cooper elated as Dunvegan delivers again

Sunday: Fairyhouse

Dunvegan's love affair with Fairyhouse is getting very serious indeed. He is now four from four at the track and his latest success in the feature Dan & Joan Moore Memorial Handicap Chase was the best date yet.

Not that the fourth course victory in a hot handicap came as any great surprise to Pat Fahy or Bryan Cooper. They have always had ultimate faith in the big grey gelding and knew it was only a matter of time before he began to fulfil his potential.

He certainly did that here and there was no hiding place either.

Blackbow wanted to make all and jumped brilliantly in the main, but Dunvegan kept nagging away at him the whole way and eventually he caved in.

Dunvegan won going away at the line and was introduced at 16-1 in Paddy Power's Grand Annual market. He holds a Champion Chase entry too, and Fahy was not ruling out having a crack at Shishkin and Energumene despite being 100-1 to beat them.

The winning trainer, who also sent out the third Castlegrace Paddy, said: "We have him in the Queen Mother. I know you are really jumping up in class, but we'll move on with him now and give him the chance to compete against the big ones over the shorter trips. We'll have a look at the Dublin Racing Festival for him next.

"We always thought a lot of him. He won two bumpers and beat a lot of winners in Punchestown afterwards. Then, he was so impressive when he won his maiden hurdle here.

"He went backwards on us after that and he always looked like a three-mile chaser but this seems to be his trip. Thankfully, we pulled him back in trip and let him rock."

Cooper. who gets a great kick out of letting him rock too, said: "He's a horse I really enjoyed riding. He's a proper, proper jumper. You could almost close your eyes on him and he'll do everything for you. He's finally fulfilling what he promised to deliver as a young horse."

Watch Dunvegan win at Fairyhouse on Sunday

Saint Sam 33-1 for festival

Willie Mullins unleashed yet another classy recruit to fences in the 2m1f beginners' chase in Saint Sam and in beating Thedevilscoachman by nine lengths he earned himself a quote of 33-1 with Paddy Power for both the Arkle and Turners Novices' Chase.

Paul Townend, who thinks he will turn out to be a better chaser than hurdler, said: "He has jumped well at home and we let him at it there. They didn't leave me alone or anything but he's won nicely in the end.

"When Sean [O'Keeffe, on El Barra] arrived alongside me I gave him a squeeze and he kept picking up. He had a good leap at the last and it was only then that he was getting going.

"He might go a bit higher over fences the way he jumps. He's going to have stiffer tasks ahead of him but I think, on what he showed there, he can go to the next grade."

White Pepper too spicy

The opening hurdle for four-year-olds has contained the winner of the Boodles Juvenile Handicap Hurdle at Cheltenham in two of the last four years – Veneer Of Charm (2018) and Aramax (2020) – and Britzka began the day favourite for the festival prize.

He ended the day 33-1 with bet365, though, as he trailed in fourth having raced lazily throughout.

White Pepper was too spicy for them all under Luke Dempsey and made most of the running on the way to a two-length win over Feigh.

Rust turns to the gold

The biggest shock of the day came in the mares' maiden hurdle as 25-1 shot Red As Rust landed the spoils for Enfield-based trainer Nigel Slevin.

It was nip and tuck with Brooklynn Glory coming down to the last but she wandered on the approach to it and came down, leaving Conor Orr clear on Red As Rust.

Slevin said: "She's a grand mare and it's great to get it at my local track."

Results, replays and analysis

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