BAR ONE RACING

DRINMORE NOVICE

CHASE (GRADE 1)

GORDON Elliott became the first trainer to saddle all three Grade 1 winners on this stellar card as Death Duty added to his already lofty reputation by making all in the hands of Davy Russell.

The master of Cullentra House has won this two and a half-mile test with the likes of Don Cossack (2013) and No More Heroes (2015) in recent years and the Shantou gelding, now three from three over fences this season, was sent off the 8/11 favourite against four opponents with stable-companion Shattered Love (temperature) an absentee.

Russell increased the tempo off the home turn, and the Gigginstown-owned six-year-old kept on well on the run-in to beat Rathvinden by three and a quarter lengths with Snow Falcon keeping on at one pace a further two and three-quarter lengths away in third.

Elliott said: “This is what it’s all about, to train three Grade 1 winners on the one day is unbelievable, and to do it at one of my local tracks in Fairyhouse is great. I’m delighted. He’s a horse I’ve always liked but maybe I was getting it wrong last year saying he wanted three miles. Davy said there today that he has loads of speed. He’s won another Grade 1 for us and we’ll enjoy today and see what happens.

“He could be more a JLT horse. He’s definitely not slow, and you might not see him over three miles again this year. In fairness, he went to Cheltenham last year and didn’t travel over and was very light over there.

“I was probably a bit naïve and shouldn’t have ran the horse as he wasn’t right after the race. Thankfully he came back and showed how good he is today.”

If there was one slight criticism of the performance it was a slight tendency to jump to the left but Elliott was not concerned saying: “I thought he jumped very well today and I don’t think there are too many faults in him. We’ll see how he is after this before deciding where we go next.”

Death Duty was disputing favouritism afterwards for the JLT Novices Chase with the likes of Finian’s Oscar and Willoughby Court at around the 7/1 mark.