Wexford trainer Colm Murphy was celebrating following the success of his 11/4 favourite Quito De La Roque in the Grade 1 JN wine.com Champion Chase at Down Royal on Saturday.
Unbeaten on his four previous starts, Quito De La Roque is a progressive young chaser but even the French-bred’s most ardent supporters must have been worried as Michael O’Leary’s Gigginstown House Stud runner appeared to be well held in third as Sizing Europe and The Nightingale looked destined to fight out the finish when jumping the final fence with a healthy advantage.
Davy Russell, however, had not given up the ghost aboard the eventual winner and with Sizing Europe – last season’s Queen Mother Champion Chase hero – and The Nightingale, on whom Paul Carberry was deputising for Noel Fehilly, feeling the pinch on the uphill climb to the post, Russell pushed his mount clear to beat Sizing Europe by just over a length. The Nightingale filled third a further eight lengths back with a huge 60-lenght gap back to Rare Bob in fourth.
“This horse is as tough as nails,” said an elated Murphy. “To win today is a big bonus as he wasn’t as fresh for this race as we would have liked. Three weeks ago he had a little leg problem and we had to really get stuck into him to get him here today. He is a really gutsy horse and was running on when the rest were stopping. He’ll more than likely go for the Lexus Chase next as he had a hard race today and that fits nicely into the schedule,” added the Gorey-based winning hander.
While Paul Nicholls may have been slightly disappointed with the way The Nightingale emptied out in the closing stages of the big race, the performance of his Kauto Stone in the following Grade 2 Ladborokes.com Chase will have delighted the Ditchheat handler.
Carberry again deputised for Fehilly – both Nicholls and himself were unable to make it to the northern track having found themselves fog bound at Bristol Airport earlier that morning – aboard this half-brother to dual Cheltenham Gold Cup winner Kauto Star and the pair made no mistake when sauntering past the front-running Roi Du Mee before two out en-route to a very easy success.
The winner, who like Kauto Star came from France, is very talented and his victory was noteworthy as it was Nicholls’ 2,000th success between Britain and Ireland since the former jockey began his training career.
Kauto Stone’s future is sure to be meticulously planned by Nicholls with the John Durkan at Punchestown and the Peterborough Chase mentioned as possible stepping stones for the exciting six-year-old.
As expected, The Real Article showed why he is so highly regarded by his trainer Edward O’Grady when running out a good winner of the WKD Hurdle under Barry Geraghty at Down Royal last Friday.
The subject of much controversy over the summer, the 2/1 shot was opposed on this occasion by Kalann and Oscars Well, but he earned a 16/1 quote for the 2012 Champion Hurdle when beating Kalann by two and a half lengths.
The winner now has the option of the Hatton’s Grace at Fairyhouse early next month and Newcastle’s Fighting Fifth Hurdle, and a keen eye should be kept on the six-year-old as the season winds up.
On the point-to-point front there was only one meeting last weekend with the Kilkenny Foxhounds’ keeping the flag flying at their Kilmacow fixture on Sunday.
Champion jockey Derek O’Connor, fresh from his fantastic six-timer at Loughanmore the previous weekend, was in action at the Noreside track and the 29-year-old tasted success when guiding Derg Princes to victory in the mares’ winners of two contest.
One of O’Connor’s half-dozen eight days earlier, 2/1 favourite Derg Princess showed no ill-effects of that outing when running on strongly in the closing stages to beat runner-up After Dark by three and a half lengths.
Owned and bred in East Clare by Sean Grogan, Derg Princess is trained in County Meath by Gordon Elliott and the daughter of Definite Article provided O’Connor with his 16th win of the season.

Team O’Brien enjoy memorable  Breeders’ Cup success

Aidan O’Brien has welcomed back many big race winners since he took over the reins at the powerful Coolmore-led Ballydoyle operation, but  one doubts if he has ever gained as much satisfaction as he did from the victory of St Nicholas Abbey at the Breeders’ Cup last Saturday.
Churchill Downs was the venue for this year’s stateside bash and O’Brien enjoyed his proudest moment on a racecourse as his 18-year-old son Joseph (or Joey as the American commentator called him) became the youngest jockey ever to ride a Breeders’ Cup winner when steering St Nicholas Abbey to victory in the mile and a half Breeders’ Cup Turf.
This was a very special success and while O’Brien is often maligned for his almost stoic post-race reactions, Saturday’s ‘family’ success clearly moved the Wexford-born farmer’s son.
“For me, this is incredible. This is something I cannot put into words, one of those really special days. Joseph gave the horse a wonderful ride and there’s no doubt it’s an incredible day,” said the Ballydoyle maestro. 
Reacting to his history-making ride, O’Brien junior remarked, “I’ve been coming to the Breeders’ Cup since I was six-years-old and to win a race here is incredible. St Nicholas Abbey travelled well all the way and really picked up when I asked him. It’s a dream come true.”
O’Brien, who was the only European trainer to visit the winner’s enclosure over the two-day fixture, had earlier initiated a double when his Ryan Moore-ridden Wrote bridged an eight-year wait for the stable’s first Grade 1 success at the Breeders’ Cup since High Chaparral dead-heated in the Turf, when running out a good winner of the Juvenile Turf race.
Meanwhile, both the UK and Irish Flat seasons’ came to a close over the weekend with Johnny Murtagh picking up his fifth Irish title when crowned champion at Leopardstown on Sunday.
The Meath rider, who won his first title back in 1995, enjoyed a terrific season in which he rode a host of big-race winners and his final tally of 83 wins saw him finish four ahead of Pat Smullen.
Across the water, last year’s champion, Paul Hanagan, retained his crown when fending off a late rally from Silvester De Sousa as the season came to a close at Doncaster on Saturday.
Hanagan rode a total of 165 winners throughout the season, four more that De Sousa.
Kieran Fallon, who was unplaced aboard Alan McCabe’s Caspar Netscher in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf, enjoyed a great season and was bang there in the race for the title right up to the bitter end.
The Ballinruan native showed he is still very much a force to be reckoned with as the six-time champion finished third in the riders’ table with a fine tally of 145 wins.