Age fails to stop Spot
As he did when completing a hat-trick in the Sporting Index Chase here last month, JP McManus’s evergreen gelding once again defied top weight under JT McNamara, fending off Plum’tee for a length victory.
Favourite Silver Birch was a further length and a quarter back in third.
It was Spot Thedifference’s sixth victory in total over the unique contours of the Prestbury Park cross-country course and trainer Enda Bolger was almost dumbfounded following the 6-1 success.
“It’s amazing to have a horse of his age run that well, in (soft) ground that was against him, and carry top weight. He gave me no feel whatsoever when we had a spin here, during a heavy shower, yesterday morning. He was in no mood to do anything,” he admitted.
“But you must give credit to the jockey today. He was bold to ride him so close to the pace with that weight.
“We will come back for the Cross Country Chase at the Festival meeting in March and that will be his swansong.”
Gallant grey D’Argent overcame 629 days on the sidelines in a pulsating finish to the boylepoker.com Handicap Chase.
Alan King’s charge was making his first start since he suffered a leg injury when ante-post favourite for the Scottish Grand National two years ago.
But the nine-year-old showed all his old zest to hold on under Robert Thornton and defy the staying-on New Alco by a short head, with My Will a similar distance back in third.
However, King ruled out a tilt at the Coral Welsh National on December 27 and said of the 10-1 winner: “He’s not a Grand National horse and the Welsh National will come too soon.
“We will probably go to Warwick with him, because he’d want a month or so off after this. I’d be very surprised if I ran him at Chepstow.
“We just wanted him to have a good run today and come back in one piece and then look towards the second half of the season.”
Patsy Hall underlined his Royal & SunAlliance Novices’ Chase credentials with an effortless display of jumping to win the opening Cleanevent Novices’ Chase under Robert Power.
The Michael Cunningham-trained six-year-old jumped his four rivals into the ground, running out a convincing nine-length winner from Aces Four.
Cunningham is now eyeing a return for the March Festival meeting with the Irish raider, and said: “Some of the lads in the yard backed him at 80-1 for small bits and piece this morning, so they will be happy, especially as most of the bookmakers now make him a 16-1 chance (for the SunAlliance).
“He’s a better horse on faster ground.”
