Road To Respect gave trainer Noel Meade a first victory over fences at the Cheltenham Festival after a facile win in the Brown Advisory and Merriebelle Stud Plate on Thursday.

The six-year-old novice, who is a three-parts brother to Grade 1 winner Road To Riches, always travelled well for Bryan Cooper and took up the running approaching the second last before drawing clear of his nearest rival, the Gary Moore-trained Baron Alco.

Sent off 14/1, Road To Respect was having just his fifth run over fences here but jumped impeccably. Meade said: "I thought we had three good chances to be in the money today. I was a bit disappointed with Snow Falcon, but I thought Road To Respect had a great chance. I actually wanted to run him in the RSA Novices' Chase, but Gigginstown had something else for that and this race made sense, given the way the handicapper assessed him.

"We've always thought of him as a very nice horse and the ground was a big help to him. On his second chase run, in the Grade 1 Drinmore Novices' Chase at Fairyhouse, he was very disappointing - he was only third or fourth, and I thought he might win. He came here and was clearly well-handicapped!

"I thought early on maybe he didn't get the [two and a half mile] trip and I dropped him back to two miles, which was probably a mistake. We went for three miles last time at Navan when the ground was very bad, and Sandra Hughes' horse [Acapella Bourgeois] got away. We beat the rest of them a long way that day and he stayed galloping to the line, so we were happy with that.

"I didn't realise that was our first chase winner at the Festival. I've always thought maybe I would have won more here if I'd run more in handicaps rather than the good races, but I always think this is the championships and we try to come and win a championship. Maybe Harbour Pilot would have won a handicap chase here the first year he ran in the Gold Cup [2003, when he was third to Best Mate], but he was placed in two Gold Cups and that's the way I've always approached it."

GIGGINSTOWN TREBLE

Road To Respect was giving Gigginstown House Stud, owned by Michael O’Leary, a third success of the week following wins on the first day for Apple’s Jade and Tiger Roll. O’Leary also won this race last season with Empire Of Dirt and said: "It's great and I'm delighted. He wants good ground and is one of the better novices in Ireland.

"I didn't think he had a chance today, but Bryan gave him a peach of a ride. He had him in the right place the whole time as there was a lot of traffic problems in behind.

"It was wonderful. Someone said it was Noel Meade's first chase winner so it just goes to show if you keep banging your head against a brick wall, eventually you will get one!"

Cooper, who was having his eighth festival winner in total, added: "Road To Respect travelled real well. He was running in good novice races all winter long and that has probably stood to him.

"I was a bit worried about experience and he kind of over jumped the first. After that, he was very good. I gave him a bit of room to give him confidence and he bolted up.

"It is a pleasure to be able to ride for Noel. I had a lot of luck for him in the first part of the job, but I have struggled to ride a winner for him the last couple of years. Thankfully, I have paid him back now."

IRISH DOMINANCE

Ireland had won all six races going into the concluding Fulke Walwyn Kim Muir Challenge Cup but failed to make it a 100% win record on day three of the festival when the Stuart Edmunds-trained Domesday Book led home a British 1-2-3-4.

It looked as though the Derek O'Connor-ridden Pendra was going to defy top weight when he held a three-length advantage at the last, but Domesday Brook (40/1), formerly trained by Henry de Bromhead, responded to the urgings of his rider Gina Andrews to deny the Charlie Longsdon-trained runner.

Mall Dini fared best of the Irish, staying on into fifth.

REVIEW ALL THE CHELTENHAM DRAMA IN THE IRISH FIELD THIS WEEKEND