JUST five runners lined up recently for the Grade 2 Clonmel Oil Chase but racecourse manager D J Histon could hardly have asked for a better quality field. All five were already graded chase winners and the field included the previous year’s winner of the race, Alpha Des Obeaux.

The Gordon Elliott-trained eight-year-old may have come up short on the day, but he made amends this week when he showed his liking for the Tipperary air and landed the listed feature at Thurles on Thursday.