Nicanor lands Novice spoils

Nicanor followed up his Cheltenham Festival success in gritty style when taking the Grade One Dunboyne Castle Hotel & Spa Champion Novice Hurdle on the final day of the Punchestown Festival.

Noel Meade’s five-year-old left plenty of long faces in Prestbury Park when flooring hot favourite Denman in the Royal & SunAlliance Novices’ Hurdle but was much better fancied this time.