20 winners up for Ryan as Rippon Lodge hangs on

Rippon Lodge (9/2) held on to win the McCarthys Irish Bar Lexington Handicap Chase in the hands of 7lb claimer Tom Kelly.

It was a victory achieved in unusual style as the Scorpion gelding, making his second appearance of the week at Tramore, was held up in rear early on before pulling his way to the front at the halfway stage.

He soon established a clear lead and most of his rivals were struggling to peg him back racing towards the second last. The Henry de Bromhead-trained pair Tune The Chello (10/3 fav) and Centurion Steel (11/2) gave chase to the tiring winner on the run to the final fence, and a mistake by the former may well have been crucial as she was still a head a drift at the line.

It was a length further back to Centurion Steel in third place.

Winning trainer John Ryan said: "The ground on Friday (second to the 128-rated Ya Boy Ya in a conditions event) would have been more to his liking. The edge is probably gone off him now because he is a very big horse, he is 17.2hh.

“He has had bleeding issues in the past but this year he has been trained out of the field and he has had no issues. We are delighted with him.

“It was a very unorthodox way of winning, but he won anyway. He had to run today because he ran way above his mark the other day

“He probably didn't run within twenty pounds of that today but he got the job done. He will go for a handicap chase at Listowel now, we will give him a chance after two quick runs."

It was Templemore handler Ryan’s twentieth winner of the season, and he’s already surpassed his previous best total of fifteen which he achieved in 2016/17 and matched last term.

Quotes from Donal Murphy