Whisperinthebreeze and Paddy Kennedy © Photo Healy Racing
Paddy Kennedy grabbed the biggest win of his career with a well executed ride on Whisperinthebreeze in the €125,000 Abbey International Leopardstown Handicap Chase.
The Jessica Harrington-trained gelding was soon prominent in the two-mile-five contest and was in front before halfway.
Kennedy nicked a few lengths before the second last on the well-backed 7/1 shot (18/1 in morning).
The pair did come back to the field a bit at the final fence but Kennedy was obviously keeping a bit up his sleeve as his mount galloped on strongly on the run-in to post a three-and-three-quarter-length win over Livelovelaugh
“I'm delighted. That's a lovely way to win your beginners!” said Harrington.
“He ran really well in Punchestown and I was delighted with him.
“We thought he had only 9-11 but luckily the weights went up and Paddy was able to ride him. He knows him from home.
“He jumps like a handicapper and I said to make use of his low weight. We knew he stayed three miles so what was the point of hanging around.
“I told him you have to kick him into every fence because his problem was, if you look back on his beginners chase, he was a bit cautious.
“I put the cheekpieces on him and said to be positive the last day when Finny Maguire rode him. He probably would have won the last day he if hadn't made a mistake at the third last and he was giving the winner well over a stone.
“I was pretty confident today. I knew he'd love the ground because he won his point-to-point on good ground.
“He was the last horse that Alan Potts bought, off Timmy Hyde, and I was lucky enough to get him. He was literally in my yard a week before Alan died. It's great that Stephanie his daughter is over here today.
“We had sort of thought about the four miler at Cheltenham but I definitely wouldn't be going if there was too much soft in the ground.
“He's a smashing horse, he's just turned six, so he could be a horse that might run in the Irish National if he gets into it and then we could look at something at Punchestown for him.”
