Paddy Corkery: 'I asked Santy for a Leopardstown winner, and that was five years ago'

Master Mcshee and Ian Power after their win for owner Mrs D Corkery and trainer Paddy Corkery. Picture: Healy Racing.

The Cork maiden hurdle in which Appreciate It beat Master McShee was the key to Sunday’s Leopardstown card as, after watching the winner follow up at Grade 1 level, the runner-up, trained by Paddy Corkery in Villierstown, Co Waterford, added further substance by winning the competitive Paddy Power Handicap Hurdle on his handicap debut.

Running off a mark of 132 on just his fourth outing, the six-year-old belied his inexperience with a classy performance under Ian Power. Never far off the pace, he went clear to the final hurdle and stayed on strongly to beat another promising sort, Sea Ducor, by five lengths.