Treacysenniscorthy survives final fence blunder to make all

Treacysenniscorthy regained the winning thread when making all and surviving a terrible mistake at the last in the GAIN Handicap Chase at Cork.

The Robert Widger-trained gelding was highly progressive last season winning five times including a valuable handicap hurdle at the Dublin Racing Festival in Leopardstown.

The 6/1 chance asserted in the straight and was about four lengths clear when ploughing through the final fence.

However, disaster was averted as Kevin Brouder kept the partnership intact and he galloped on well to beat Atlantic Shore by four and a half lengths.

Smoking Guns made a few mistakes finishing a further two and quarter lengths back in third.

Widger said, "He would have needed his run the last day and we were a lot happier coming here today. He's racing off a lower mark than his hurdles rating and probably a lot of those were exposed, so off his hurdles mark you'd have given him a chance.

"He wouldn't want any shorter, but we didn't want to run him over three miles-plus on heavy winter ground - he probably wants a bit of nicer ground. Two and a half miles was grand for him on today's ground.

"The Leopardstown Chase is one aim and there's a Grand National Trial handicap at Naas over three miles four furlongs in March. We'll aim him for Leopardstown and if the ground is okay he'll go for that.

"We half thought he might be entitled to a little squeak in something like the Kim Muir at Cheltenham -three miles and two furlongs on better ground would suit him."

(TW & AM)