New king on the block

TWO magnificent timber-toppers in Brave Inca and Hardy Eustace may now be in decline, but there’s a new kid on the block from Ireland called Sublimity, who showed a devastating turn of foot to land the Smurfit Kappa Champion Hurdle at sun-drenched Cheltenham yesterday.

For his largely unheralded Maynooth Co Kildare handler, John Carr, it was an extraordinary training performance and a superb display from the saddle by Philip Carberry. Both men were enjoying a first ever Festival winner.

Sublimity had been a major ante-post gamble, tumbling down from as high as 100-1 with some bookmakers. Indeed, his owner, Bill Hennessy, availed of 600-1 on the exchanges.