Having sent out Koshari to an 80/1 success over hurdles at Aintree on Saturday, David Christie’s week got even better at Fairyhouse on Tuesday when his Vaucelet won the INHSC Hunter Chase.
Sent off as the 11/10 favourite having ended last season by winning consecutive hunter chases at Down Royal and Stratford, the six-year-old was content to chase the recent Tinahely winner Mighty Stowaway throughout the three-mile contest.
Favourite supporters would have had some moments of concern as Barry O’Neill inched lower in the saddle aboard Jennifer O’Kane’s Authorized gelding heading into the final half-mile, however once coming upsides early in the home straight, Vaucelet belied his inexperience to take control of the race from the penultimate fence.
Snugsborough Benny, who had previously finished fourth in an Irish National at the same venue, stayed on strongly and came through to take the second spot, some five lengths in arrears of the favourite, with the 2/1 shot Mighty Stowaway having to settle for the third spot.
“He is a work in progress, he is only six and he only has a few runs. His first run this year he had a very easy race and I would have liked him to have a harder race because he was having to come into this and five a horse like Mighty Stowaway seven pounds,” said the winning Fermanagh handler.
“He did it will – he jumped super and he travels really well. He is just learning all the time but the thing that I always like about him is that when he gets down to the business end of the race, particularly a staying race, he gets better from three-mile on.
“The main aim is the Foxhunters at Cheltenham and we will work our way back from there. I won’t run him on deep winter ground because he is a beautiful mover – he is 17hh but he moves beautifully on good ground – and if the ground was to stay nice I might run him over Christmas at Down Royal, but I won’t go and empty him just for the sake of running him.
Even though he is a big horse, he is a very light horse and is easy to get fit. We will look at Cheltenham, that is our target and we will work back from that.”
