Espion De Chenet & Treacy a winning team

The progressive Espion De Chenet (5/1) landed his fourth win over fences in the last eleven months when taking the Ladbrokes Handicap Chase.

Regular partner Ryan Treacy tracked the leaders on the French-bred 7-year-old before producing him to lead at the second-last. From there he went away to beat 14/1 chances Samurai Cracker and Weihnachts by a length and a quarter and two and three quarter lengths.

The 16/5 favourite Bentham collided with a rival when jumping the first and unseated Conor McNamara.

The winner got off the mark over fences at Naas last December off a mark of 90 and took this off 109.

Winning trainer Louise Lyons said: "He jumped brilliant today. He just loves running and being on the track.

"He tries his heart out and turns up every day, today was class.

"We are thinking of going to Aintree for the next meeting (next month), this week we just had a mad thought. My parents live nearby (to Aintree) and it would be lovely to go and have a runner. I used to hunt all around there.

"Ryan (Treacy) will ride him in Aintree. We could claim off him but he knows him inside out and gets on so well with him."

Quotes from Michael Graham