Arceus just gets the better of Machine

After being just touched off by Summer Star at Leopardstown last time out, Captain Arceus gained compensation today as he narrowly got the better of Sizing Machine to win the Grade B www.thetote.com Handicap Hurdle.

Trained by Dessie Hughes and ridden by Bryan Cooper, the 7yo son of Captain Rio won his bumper over the course and distance last February before winning his maiden hurdle on his next start at Navan.

After three attempts in novice company he made his handicap debut last time out at Leopardstown where he was just touched off by Summer Star (finished a well beaten fourteenth today).

Sent off at 12/1 this afternoon he was always prominent and was ridden in fifth after the third last flight.

He improved to dispute the lead at the last and stayed on well on the run-in to just deny the Henry De Bromhead trained, Andrew Lynch ridden, Sizing Machine (8/1) by a short head.

The Michael Hourigan trained Enchanted Forest (33/1) ran on well to take third, a further length and a half back, under Adrian Heskin while Tristram Shandy (20/1) was half a length back in fourth under Danny Mullins for Eric McNamara. Mount Colah (12/1 into 7/1 on-course) was right in contention when a bad mistake at the last put pay to his chance. Mad Brian was sent off the 5/1 favourite (8/1 this morning and opened at 6’s on track) for Gillian Callaghan & Robbie Colgan, but he ran no sort of race and trailed in twenty first of the twenty two runners.

Dessie Hughes said afterwards: "That was a good performance for only his second start in a handicap.

"He will go for the good two and a half mile handicap at Punchestown now and I’ve always said he wants two and a half miles.

"The better the ground the better he is. He’ll go over fences next season and he is one to look forward too."

Additional reporting by Alan Magee