WELL, that makes for a refreshing change.

Clan Des Obeaux (175) upset the odds and the home contingent to land the Ladbrokes Punchestown Gold Cup on Wednesday and put just a minor dent in the Irish domination that has been the feature of the National Hunt season.

Trainer Paul Nicholls made the decision to bypass the bet365 Gold Cup and supplement for this prestigious Grade 1 contest and it paid rich dividends as his often maligned nine-year-old gelding showed class and tenacity in equal measure.

Sam Twiston-Davies was not perturbed by Melon and Kemboy both wanting to make the running and set out to match them toe-to-toe. With his mount jumping with precision and alacrity the British combination were soon at the head of affairs as their rivals felt the pressure from an early stage. Melon was the first to check out and, even though Kemboy was still close enough, his lack of fluency at the obstacles eventually saw him also drop away.

Heading to the fifth last fence there was just the small matter of holding off dual Cheltenham Gold Cup winner Al Boum Photo (173). That was a task that the son of Kapgarde proved equal to as his slick jumping helped maintain an advantage as well as inducing sufficient errors from his pursuer to seal the race and record a career-best performance to the bargain.

A comparison of the sectional times with the only other chase on the card, won by Foxy Jacks, shows just how Twiston-Davies gradually increased the pace with the difference at which the two races reached the same obstacle grew as each race progressed. At the second-last fence the gap was 20 lengths and although that decreased by the line, Clan Des Obeaux had done enough to deliver Paul Nicholls his third Punchestown Gold Cup.

In the other Grade 1 races on the day it was business as usual for Willie Mullins as first Galopin Des Champs (130+) and then Kilcruit (139+) won at the top table in their respective disciplines.

Pedestrian

Galopin Des Champs was visually the most impressive Grade 1 winner of the first two days in winning the Irish Mirror Novice Hurdle. However, everything played to his strengths and counted against the proven stayers in the field as the early pace was pedestrian and the race turned into more of a test of speed than stamina.

The honour of the best overall time figure on the day over hurdles went the way of Suprise Package (132+) who won the EBF Auction Hurdle Series Final. So the fact Galopin Des Champs was only slightly behind that race in a split-screen view from the first hurdle jumped in the EBF Final supports the statement that the three-mile novice hurdle tempo suited the Martin Pipe hurdle winner.

The horse most compromised by the run of the race was the Albert Bartlett winner Vanillier (120+) who looked like dropping right out before staying on strongly in the closing stages. He remains a stayer of great potential and looks an exciting chasing project for next season.

Kilcruit turned around the Cheltenham form with Sir Gerhard (133) in no uncertain terms and recorded the highest rating of any bumper horse this season. He goes into the summer break as one of the most exciting hurdler prospects around.