Panda Boy secured his place in the St. James’s Place Festival Hunter Chase field after he landed the Quinn Bet Hunter Chase at Naas on Saturday afternoon.
Entering the race needing to finish either first or second to secure his Cheltenham qualification, the 85/40 shot made all of the running as he attempted to back-up his Thurles success from three weeks earlier.
Finny Maguire had been in the saddle on that occasion, deputising for John Gleeson who had been sidelined through injury, but the Waterford jockey was back sporting his mother Clare’s colours aboard the grey ten-year-old.
They were challenged at the penultimate fence by the favourite Hunters Yarn, however it was Panda Boy who was quicker away from that fence, and as the Naas hill approached after the last, it was the Valirann gelding who saw out the trip the better, as he pulled four lengths clear of Hunters Yarn, with last year’s winner Ryehill a further five and a half lengths adrift in third.
“It’s my first winner back from injury,” Gleeson said. “I was a bit disappointed to miss out on him the last day, but a good friend of mine, Finny Maguire, rode him so it was nice for him as well.
“He was good there again today. My fella is a strong stayer, probably I would have preferred a lead, but he is good and hones and lobbed away in front.
“Hunters Yarn is a good horse, probably on the track didn’t stay three miles so I was anxious to take the sting out of him. Nice performance.
“I think if he was first of second today he was qualified [for Cheltenham], so it’s brilliant to get him qualified for Mam, Dad and Martin and everyone. We will look forward to Cheltenham now.”
