THE mixed fate of favourites in the Grade 2 WKD Hurdle continued as the 8/15 shot Abacadabras had to settle for second behind a resurgent Aspire Tower in the feature event of a cracking day’s racing at Down Royal yesterday.

This was the third time in five years that an odds-on favourite has come up short in this race, but the focus should be on Aspire Tower who returned to the form that made him such an exciting juvenile hurdler last winter. Henry de Bromhead’s charge ended his season on a somewhat underwhelming note when taking second in the Triumph Hurdle after a ragged round of jumping that did him scant justice.