LATEST Exhibition relished the step up in trip to win the Grade 1 Nathaniel Lacy & Partners Solicitors “50,000 Cheltenham Bonus For Stable Staff” Novice Hurdle at Leopardstown.

Always highly thought of by trainer Paul Nolan, the seven-year-old had run against some of the top novices this season and Nolan always suggested he would come into his own when faced with a proper stamina test.

Racing over two and three-quarter miles for the first time, he was the first of the fancied runners to come off the bridle turning into the straight, but he kept on responding to Bryan Cooper’s urgings.

When Cooper asked him for a big leap at the last, his mount responded in fine fashion and the 7/2 chance powered away from the front-running Cobbler’s Way to win by two lengths, with Longhouse Poet third.

Nolan was winning his first Grade 1 since Defy Logic took the Irish Arkle in 2013.

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