World Wide Web gamble pays off
World Wide Web rewarded leading owner JP McManus and trainer Jonjo O’Neill for a change of plans with victory in the Paddy Power Handicap Chase at Leopardstown.
Switched to the Dublin track because the weights did not rise sufficiently in the Coral Welsh National, World Wide Web started a well-backed 8-1 favourite to land the €97,200 first prize.
O’Neill had sent five horses from his base near Cheltenham, but one of his prime fancies, Ballylusky, fell at the first fence.
Making steady progress from mid-division on the final circuit, World Wide Web went third rounding the home bend and although the runner-up Kymandjen (25-1) looked the winner for a few strides, Liam Cooper was not to be denied.
The favourite jumped to the front at the last to romp to a nine-length success.
“Liam gave the horse a very good ride. He kept soldiering on with him although under pressure,” said McManus, who also took the 1997 renewal with Time For A Run.
Cooper was naturally elated to ride his first winner over fences in Ireland on his initial outing around Leopardstown.
“It’s my first time here and it is a fine track. My horse was running in snatches, but that’s him and you have to keep working away,” he said.
Cooper, who had twice won around Tipperary at Grade One level aboard Intersky Falcon, showed plenty of perseverance from halfway, when the favourite looked like being outpaced.
The jockey wore the same colours in the preceding Paddy Power Dial-a-Bet Chase on Knife Edge, who was a respectable if remote third behind the odds-on favourite Moscow Flyer, who was taking the prize for the second year in a row.
Barry Geraghty, who had won the first two races, made it a predictable hat-trick on Moscow Flyer, on whom he took up the running at the first fence in the back straight when the leader, No Need For Alarm, began to falter.
Moscow Flyer went on to win cosily from Native Scout.
“I’m delighted with the performance as Moscow Flyer doesn’t do a lot out on his own. It was the right thing to do and we will have to see now whether we will run him again before going to defend the Queen Mother Champion Chase at Cheltenham,” said winning trainer Jessica Harrington.
Also Cheltenham-bound is Mariah Rollins, who comprehensively reversed Fairyhouse placings with Newmill in the paddypower.com Future Champions Novice Hurdle.
Mariah Rollins was 8lb better off for a defeat of less than a length by Newmill at Fairyhouse last month, and she was more fluent in her jumping this time to romp away in the home straight, to the delight of her trainer Pat Fahy.
“This is a top-class mare and she will be back here for the Deloitte And Touche Novice Hurdle before we go to Cheltenham for one of the novice races. Her syndicate owners are regulars at the Festival,” Fahy remarked.
