Arnaud & Russell come out on top

Arnaud lowered the colours of Rebel Fitz at Killarney on his last start and he did the same to Steps To Freedom this evening, as he overturned the 13/8 favourite in the Dermot Hughes Car Sales Chase.

The Charles Byrnes trained gelding sprang a surprise when winning at Killarney but it was much less a surprise this evening, with the 9/4 shot getting the better of Steps To Freedom and Tribes And Banner (15/8) in a three way go for the line.

Ridden by Davy Russell (replaced Niall Madden when Rathlin was taken out) the five-year-old son of Chevalier got first run on Steps To Freedom and Tribes And Banner as he hit the front at the second last.

Under a strong Russell drive he kept on well from there just hold off the late surge of the Robbie Power ridden ‘jolly’ by half a length, with Tribes And Banner a short head back in third under John Cullen.

Russell was a pound overweight (10-9) on the winner and he said afterwards; "He enjoyed the ground and it’s pretty quick. He is so good to jump a fence. Ten stone nine is the lowest weight I do for Gigginstown."

Charles Byrnes wasn’t present on-course but he said on the phone; "He likes the ground and we’ll keep him on the go and hopefully he’ll run at Galway.

"He obviously has plenty of speed and I’d like to run him on the flat."

Additional reporting by Alan Magee