Disko won in style© Photo Healy Racing
Disko signed off for the season with an impressive Grade One victory in the Growise Champion Novice Chase at Punchestown.
Noel Meade 's charge, third behind Yorkhill in the JLT Novice Chase at Cheltenham, bagged his second top level win of the season stepped back up to three miles in the €100,000 contest.
Bryan Cooper was always prominent on the 13/8 favourite and hit the lead jumping the third last.
The Gigginstown gelding was steadied into the second last but asserted before the final fence to record a cosy five-length success over Anibale Fly
Stable-mate A Genie In Abottle was another three-quarters-of-a-length back in third.
“I've always loved him and he's been the apple of my eye for a long time,” said Meade.
“Mags (O'Toole) and Eddie (O'Leary) found him in a small yard in France. He's never stopped developing since we got him and we've always thought he was very good.
“We had one or two setbacks but very little and most things he's done it well. It does appear that good ground suits him really well.
“Even thinking back to Leopardstown his good runs were there and I suppose when he ran in Cheltenham he ran against one of the best horses we've seen for quite a while, in Yorkhill.
“You'd always hope he'd win like that but you couldn't imagine he'd win as easy as that, he won very well. I thought he'd win alright as he was sparkling last week when we worked him.
“He didn't come out of Cheltenham that well. We did think about running him in the Ryanair Gold Cup at Fairyhouse but we did a piece of work with him and thought that he needed another bit.
“Road To Respect went to the race at Fairyhouse and it all worked out very well.
“We've had a great season and will be kind of sorry to see the end of it in a way. We've got some lovely horse. Gigginstown have been very good to us with the horses they've sent to us. It's easier to train good ones than bad ones.
“I never really doubted he would stay the trip. Probably Our Duke is as strong a stayer as there is and he was coming back on him in Leopardstown that day.
“I wasn't worried about three miles on that ground. In fact I would say if we made a mistake at Cheltenham it was running him in the wrong race. Anyway we got it right today and I'm thrilled.
“He hasn't had a real hard season. We picked his races and he didn't get one on top of the other. He should improve in the summer and we can dream for another while.
“Everybody would love to dream about the Gold Cup but that's a dream on it's own. Isn't it great to have a horse you can run in a Grade One. He's won a Grade One by six lengths.
“The other horse ran a blinder as well on ground he maybe wouldn't have liked that much but I don't know maybe he does like it.
“I've no doubt that Road To Respect will get three miles as well. I suppose if he was here today and Disko wasn't he might have won that race as well. We'd expect him to beat A Genie In Abottle.
“They are two lovely horses and hopefully they stay right.”
