ROBBIE POWER PROVED a more-than-able replacement jockey for Ruby Walsh in the Ryanair Novice Chase by steering the Willie Mullins-trained Chacun Pour Soi to a first top-level victory.
The seven-year-old, owned by Rich Ricci, held the persistent challenge of JLT Novices’ Chase winner Defi Du Seuil to land the €115,000 event.
Power said: “It was breathtaking at the second-last when I asked him to take off. To be fair to the horse he was very good and he’s going to learn so much from that.
Chacun Pour Soi wins the The Grade 1 Ryanair Novice Steeplechase, with Robbie Power on board #RTERacing #PunchestownFestival pic.twitter.com/XT8oyGGgnL
— RTÉ Racing (@RTEracing) May 2, 2019
“He was very green through the race and he has a lot of improvement in him – he’s a very nice horse.
Willie [Mullins] is a genius – he obviously thought this horse was up to the task and was dead right.”
At the age of 11 and seemingly set for retirement, Unowhatimeanharry rolled back the years to win his fourth Grade 1 in typically determined fashion when landing the Grade 1 Ladbrokes Stayers’ Hurdle for a second time.
Fry, usually so subdued, did an uncanny impression of Jurgen Klopp in the final 100 yards of the race, fist pumping over and over and over again. And why shouldn’t he? This was a remarkable training performance.
“We weren’t expecting that,” admitted Fry afterwards. “We were coming totally in hope rather than expectation. We were coming over with a lorryload and JP [McManus] didn’t have any other runners in the race, so we said we’d let him take his chance as he was on his way to Martinstown for the summer anyway.”
- Brian Sheerin, for more visit the Racing Post
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