Battleoverdoyen preserved his unbeaten record with a second Grade 1 success in the Neville Hotels Novice Chase on the fourth and final day of the Leopardstown Christmas Festival.
Sent off as the odds-on favourite in a race hit by late withdrawals that included fellow Irish point-to-point graduates Minella Indo and Carefully Selected, the six-year-old ultimately lined up alongside just two rivals.
Davy Russell kept the tactics simple aboard Gordon Elliott’s charge, popping the son of Doyen out in front when the tapes went back, and from that point he was never headed, as he dictated a steady tempo and was aided by an assured round of jumping.
Whilst Champagne Classic, a four-year-old maiden point-to-point winner, loomed large approaching the final fence, Battleoverdoyen dug deep to defeat his stablemate by a length to record what was his sixth victory since winning a four-year-old maiden at Loughanmore on debut for Jerry Cosgrave.
"He'll probably come on a bit from the run - he's having a good blow after it," said Elliott when speaking to RacingTV following the success.
"Davy said the two of them only hacked around, and it was like a nice school. He said he only did what he had to do.
"The second horse is a good horse - he's rated 150.
"I'd imagine he could come back here for the Flogas (at the Dublin Racing Festival). He'll be entered in it, and we'll see.
"The way he jumps and travels, he's a real nice horse, he's a big chaser.
"He'll go on any ground and he's won three times on good ground. I like the way he jumps.
"The runner-up will probably go for what used to be the four-miler. I was happy with both horses."
Battleoverdoyen is now top-priced 10/1 for the RSA Chase at the Cheltenham Festival in March.
