Horseracing: Well Ridden wins at Leopardstown

Well Ridden won a trip to Cheltenham in March with victory in the opening race at Leopardstown today.

The seven-year-old is 10-1 third favourite with Sean Graham for the Irish Independent Arkle Trophy Chase on the opening day of the National Hunt Festival which Arthur Moore won with Klairon Davis in 1995.

But his trainer was not entirely convinced by the gelding's seven-length defeat of odds-on Ross Moff in the Baileys Arkle Perpetual Challenge Cup.

"I don't know whether that was a Cheltenham Arkle performance but that will be on his agenda," Moore said.

"I was very happy with his jumping and he wants ground on the soft side.

"But the Arkle is only one race and this is a lovely horse for the future."

Jockey Adrian Maguire appeared to give Ross Moff a lot to do and returned to one or two jeers from the crowd.

But the gelding was close enough if good enough at the last and trainer Tony Martin said: "He was just beaten by a better horse on the day.

"People have hyped this horse but the winner was rated better over hurdles and I was very happy with him - he just wasn't good enough on the day."