The Tony Martin trained Northern Alliance retained his unbeaten record over fences when putting in a fantastic round of jumping at Punchestown in the hands of Paul Carberry.

'He's a smashing jumper and will be given a break now and come back in the Spring. He is too good a moving horse to be really at home on heavy ground,' said the winning trainer. Shazand was making a race of it with the winner until taking a heavy fall at the penultimate fence, but was re-mounted and hacked home.