Ryanair Hurdle |
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| Grade 1, Leopardstown 14:30 €100,000 added, 4yo plus, 2m, Class 1  |
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| Tuesday 29th December 2015 | |
1 Nichols Canyon 2/5F
2 Identity Thief 11/4
3 Plinth 40/1
NR: Arctic Fire (GER)
4 ran Distances: 2l, 16l, 4l
TIME 4m 13.20s (slow by 28.20s)
Never-say-die Nichols Canyon out-battles Identity Thief
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Nichols Canyon showed all the old battling qualities of his former stablemate Hurricane Fly to win the Ryanair Hurdle at Leopardstown.
The now-retired Hurricane Fly won four of the previous five renewals of this race but for much of the home straight Nichols Canyon looked like coming off second best.
Henry de Bromhead's Identity Thief proved his win in the Fighting Fifth at Newcastle was no fluke as he cruised into the lead before the final flight.
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Bryan Cooper got a great leap out of Identity Thief, which appeared to seal victory, but Ruby Walsh threw the proverbial kitchen sink at Nichols Canyon.
The Willie Mullins-trained 2-5 favourite began to eat into the gap and eventually got on top to win going away by two lengths.
Nichols Canyon was winning a sixth Grade One from just nine starts over hurdles.
The Ryanair Hurdle
2m , Race Value: €100,000
4 ran
Going: Heavy
| Pos | D | Horse SP | Jockey Weight | Trainer | Age |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Nichols Canyon 2/5f | R Walsh 11-10 |
W P Mullins | 5 | |
| 2nd | 2 | Identity Thief (IRE) 11/4 | B J Cooper 11-10 |
H de Bromhead | 5 |
| 3rd | 16 | Plinth (IRE) 40/1 | B J Geraghty 11-10 |
A P O'Brien | 5 |
| 4th | 4 | Windsor Park (IRE) 7/1 | D N Russell 11-10 |
D K Weld | 6 |
| NR | Arctic Fire (GER) 11/4 | J Ricou 11-10 |
W P Mullins | 6 |
