William Hill Champion Chase (Grade 1)

IT may not be a vintage era for two-mile chasers in Ireland right now but the division’s final Grade 1 of the season served up a corker of a finish as Banbridge saved his best for last, both in the campaign and in the dying strides of the William Hill Champion Chase.

Joseph O’Brien and Ronnie Bartlett have been extremely patient with the Cheltenham Festival and Grade 1-winning performer, whose winters have tended to be quieter than other top chasers due to his preference for decent ground.

A drying breeze through the afternoon helped his cause, and his stamina was brought into play here by a strong pace set by Dysart Dynamo.

It had looked as though Cheltenham scorer Captain Guinness might have done enough to seal the deal when shrugging off the attentions of 11/10 favourite Dinoblue, but J.J. Slevin extracted the maximum from his mount and edged in front by a neck right on the line.

The winning rider was partnering his fifth Grade 1 win in the space of 16 months (and a sixth in total for his career), while O’Brien was savouring his biggest Punchestown Festival win yet.

“It was a fantastic race, a great two-mile chase, and a fantastic ride from J.J. - I’m delighted for Ronnie and everyone to have a big winner here,” said O’Brien.

“He’s been a fantastic horse and Ronnie’s patience through the autumn, when the ground wasn’t right for us, is really what won the race for us today. We had a fresh horse, only his third run of the season.”

On whether Banbridge could be seen again this season, O’Brien added: “He has plenty of options. We’ll have to see what Ronnie would like to do after this. Today was his target at the end of the season.”

Slevin added: “It was a massive call that took guts for Joseph to bring him back to two miles and put the cheekpieces on him. We knew we’d be at the pin of our collar jumping and travelling but he hung in there.

“He was brave today. After the second last, I knew I hadn’t thrown all my cards on the table and would come home well.”