Corbetts Cross (nearest) jumps the last alongside Three Card Brag© Photo Healy Racing
Corbetts Cross got the better of some quality rivals in the opener at Fairyhouse, the Jim Ryan Racecourse Services Beginners Chase.
A Grade 2 winner over flights last season and sent off favourite for the Albert Bartlett at Cheltenham, the Emmet Mullins-trained six-year-old was disappointingly beaten into third on his racecourse debut over fences at Naas last month.
Sent off a 2/1 chance (touched 11/4) this morning, the Gamut chestnut was settled behind the leaders by Mark Walsh and was close in fourth on the approach to the straight.
Pushed along to challenge before the last, the JP McManus-owned victor soon improved to dispute the lead and he edged to the front inside the final 100 yards, going on to score by a snug three-quarters of a length.
The front-running Three Card Brag (7/4f from 4s in early) lost little in defeat, filling the runner-up spot under Jack Kennedy for Gordon Elliott, while Montys Star (10/1) was another two-and-a-half lengths back in third.
The easy-to-back Nick Rockett (5/2 from 7/4) was another length-and-three-quarters back in fourth.
"I suppose the run under his belt was a big advantage there. It's tough going out there and that was probably the difference in it," Mullins commented.
"Getting a win in these beginners chases in Ireland is very difficult and they are all top-class races. I won't necessarily be that confident the next day once they have a run under their belt.
"It's great to get today out of the way and we can go on to bigger races hopefully."
On Slate Lane, he added: "He's staved off the infection. We had a bit of a fright on Tuesday night but he's okay.
"We've had one surgery we didn't need to do a second flushing of the joint. It’s as good as can be hoped for at this time.
"There is fifty per cent damage done to the tendon but in terms of life threatening, we've had good news that there is no infection in the joint.
"It's a case of saving the horse and that is all that is on our mind at the moment."
Additional reporting by Alan Magee
