Know The Game, far side, delivers his winning challenge© Photo Healy Racing
Know The Game crept into contention in an incident-packed handicap chase at Naas and was delivered by Keith Donoghue for a comfortable success.
The final two fences were omitted due to the low-lying sun and the six-year-old gelding made headway on the long run-in for home to travel all over his rivals.
He was unleashed to lead by Donoghue approaching the final furlong and was driven home in the closing stages to score by a length and three parts.
He rewarded favourite backers at 5/2. Runner-up The Eye Of Tulla took second at 20/1 from 50s this morning. Hard Rain was back in third at 11/2.
Jim Dreaper 's son and assistant trainer, Thomas Dreaper, said: “He’s a lovely horse, ran well the last day but he’s an absolute chaser in the making. Just due to lack of options, we went to Thurles the last day to give him a race somewhere.
“He’s entered at Down Royal on St Stephen’s Day and might roll on to there.
“He’s a typical one of ours — he’s big, green and awkward. We probably ran him in the wrong races, but we needed to teach him how to race.
“I can’t say enough about the owners (Newell family) as they are the easiest people to train for.
“Keith is in with us on dark and dirty Monday mornings and without him I’d be snookered.”
Additional reporting by Alan Magee
