Midnight Maestro off the mark over the banks

The Hollywoodbets-sponsored P.P. Hogan Memorial Cross Country Chase saw banks specialist Enda Bolger saddle a one-two as Midnight Maestro (9/2) got the better of Shady Operator (5/2) by a neck.

After a treble at Naas yesterday, it was another winner for Mark Walsh whose mount came from mid-division to challenge his stable companion on the run to the last of 28 obstacles. Shady Operator, winner of his previous two starts over this banks course including when beating Midnight Maestro by seven lengths here in November, battled on gamely for Derek O’Connor but the winner just proved the stronger on the run-in. Tout Est Permis sent off the 15/8 favourite on his first attempt over the banks, finished a further eight lengths back in third.

Paddy Power cut the winner's price to 8/1 (from 20s) for the Cross Country Chase at Cheltenham.

The winning trainer Enda Bolger said: "That's them now and we'll give them an entry for the Cheltenham race now.

“Whether they'll be good enough we'll see what else is going to turn up.

“They just swapped it around from the last meeting here. Shady got a cut here the last day and was laid up for a while. He had a run at Navan but the other horse finished better that day.

“Maybe the little bit of fitness at the end probably caught Shady out. I thought for a minute he was coming back at him again.

“Mark thought he just needed to hold on to his horse. At least they stay well, we've another seven furlongs to go at Cheltenham and you wouldn't know what the ground would be like either.

“They were fine and professional about it and their jumping was good.”

(GC & MN)