Paddy Power Dial-A-Bet Chase |
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| Grade 1, Leopardstown 13:20 €100,000 5yo plus, 2m 1f, Class 1  |
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| Saturday 27th December 2014 | |
1 Twinlight 16/1
2 Hidden Cyclone 7/1
3 Simply Ned 9/1
NR: Sizing Europe (IRE)
9 ran Distances: 4¾l, 2¼l, 3½l
TIME 4m 20.50s (slow by 14.50s)
Willie Mullins's second-string Twinlight landed a surprise victory
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Twinlight bounced right back to his best to win the Paddy Power Dial-A-Bet Chase and in the process condemn Hidden Cyclone to the runner-up spot in the Leopardstown feature for the second year running.
Willie Mullins' unpredictable seven-year-old was sent off at 16-1 as he was pulled up on his last outing in the Hilly Way Chase at Cork.
However, yet again he showed that when he is on a going day and in the right conditions, he is a very good two-miler chaser.
Hidden Cyclone ran his usual game race from the front, seeing off Uxizandre at the head of affairs with a mile to run and putting the rest under pressure, despite jumping to his right on occasions.
All bar Twinlight were in trouble turning into the straight and it was he who saw out the race best in the conditions, winning by four and three-quarter lengths, giving a welcome change of luck to Paul Townend, who was beaten on some red-hot favourites a day earlier.
Nicky Richards' Simply Ned stayed on gamely for third, but the favourite Uxizandre and Ballycasey were very disappointing.
Mullins said: "At Cork I had said to Paul 'I want you to go down the inner and just wing your fences' and two or three other horses kept up to him.
"I said to Paul today to do the same, and he said he wanted to change the plan. Paul said 'no, I want to go the outside'.
"They went such a gallop today that Paul was on the outside, on his own and I think at about halfway the horse started to enjoy it and if you look at, I think, the second fence down the back, he put in as big a jump as I ever saw around here and he landed running.
"Hidden Cyclone ran a fantastic race - I thought he had us beaten going to the last - but our fella just met it right and I'm delighted for Paul to get a Grade One winner, against the head, as we say."
The winner was introduced into the Queen Mother Champion Chase betting at 16-1 by 
Paddy Power Dial-A-Bet Steeplechase
€100,000, 5yo plus, 2m 1f, Class 1
9 ran
Going: Yielding
| Dist | Horse | Jockey Weight |
Trainer | Age | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Twinlight (FR) 16/1 | P Townend 11-12 |
W P Mullins | 7 | |
| 2nd | 4¾ | Hidden Cyclone (IRE) 7/1 | Andrew J McNamara 11-12 |
J J Hanlon | 9 |
| 3rd | 2¼ | Simply Ned (IRE) 9/1 | Brian Harding 11-12 |
N G Richards | 7 |
| 4th | 3½ | Bright New Dawn (IRE) 8/1 | B J Cooper 11-12 |
Ms S Hughes | 7 |
| 5th | ¾ | Moscow Mannon (IRE) 8/1 | D N Russell 11-12 |
H De Bromhead | 8 |
| 6th | 5 | Mallowney (IRE) 16/1 | R P McNamara 11-12 |
T Doyle | 8 |
| 7th | 12 | Ballycasey (IRE) 5/2 | R Walsh 11-12 |
W P Mullins | 7 |
| 8th | 2¼ | Uxizandre (FR) 2/1f | A P McCoy 11-12 |
A King | 6 |
| 9th | sh | Savello (IRE) 33/1 | D F O'Regan 11-12 |
A J Martin | 8 |
| NR | Sizing Europe (IRE) | J J Burke 11-12 |
H De Bromhead | 12 |
