“I KNOW you put your head on the plate a bit, but you can’t hide,” reflected Mick Winters after his stable star Chatham Street Lad (evens favourite) silenced some doubters in the Grade 3 Hugh McMahon Memorial Novice Chase at Limerick.

It was more circumstance than anything else that had come against Chatham Street Lad this time, after all he’d gained a huge following for blitzing the opposition in the Caspian Caviar Gold Cup at Cheltenham in December. Here though, just 10 days on from another Cheltenham excursion, and up to this extended three-mile trip, there seemed to be a significant challenge facing the Vivian Healy-owned nine-year-old. Up-and-comer Full Time Score (15/8 into 13/8) was amongst the opposition too.