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Zeb on track or Punchestown

By Nick Robson - Monday, March 22, 2010

QUEEN Mother Champion Chase winner Big Zeb is next month likely to attempt to go one better than last season’s second-place finish at the Punchestown Festival.

Despite making a bad mistake at the final fence, Colm Murphy’s charge was agonisingly pipped by Master Minded in the Kerrygold Champion Chase.

He put all his jumping frailties behind him last week, however, and is now the current champion two-mile chaser.

"When you think back to Punchestown last year, and 12 months ago when he tipped up in the Queen Mother, it makes it extra special," said Murphy.

"We’ve had some very good days with him, and we’ve had some low days with him, but that was absolutely fantastic.

"Barry (Geraghty) was pretty bullish about him – there were no doubts about his ability – it was just going to be on the day. Some day it was going to click, it was just a question of when. Luckily it was on Wednesday.

"I’d say more than likely we’ll go to Punchestown. We’ll see how he is over the next couple of weeks, but that looks the obvious one," he told At The Races.

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