Intellotto, near side, comes to pick them off© Photo Healy Racing
The opening three-year-old maiden hurdle in Leopardstown turned into a three-way fight which Intellotto won for Joseph O'Brien and Daryl Jacob.
This ex-Flat racer finished runner-up in a couple of maidens at Punchestown and Cork in that discipline, and showed an aptitude for this game on his hurdling bow.
Jacob made headway on him rounding the home bend and the Lope de Vega gelding loomed large on the outer at the final flight. Lucy Wang jumped it with a very narrow lead from Mordor and Intellotto, however, the latter landed running and soon picked them off on the run-in. He was strong in the final 100 yards as he went on by four and a-half lengths at 10/1.
Lucy Wang ran a cracker in second at 150/1 and was three lengths in front of Mordor who was nibbled at in the market from 22s to 16/1.
O'Brien said: “The ground was softer than we thought it was going to be, but it was a lovely debut. Daryl taught him a lot and he jumped pretty well on the whole.
“Daryl has been a top-class rider for many years and is still at the top of his game. I’m sure he’d tell you riding good horses is what it’s all about and he gets as big a kick out of it as ever.
“I’m delighted to have a winner here for Simon (Munir) and Isaac (Souede) and he looks a smashing horse for the spring. I think the logical step would be to come back here for the Dublin Racing Festival.”
Paddy Power gave Intellotto a first show of 25/1 for the Triumph Hurdle.
Additional reporting by Alan Magee
