Usa and Paul Townend© Photo Healy Racing
Steve Mahon is really looking forward to the upcoming summer campaign with Usa after the gelding made an impressive reappearance in the Fundraising Events At Tipperary Races Rated Novice Chase.
The original six-runner field was greatly reduced after Rossvoss and Irish Soul were both taken out due to the change in going, while Hurricane Ridge unseated his rider after a mistake at the second fence.
Usa put in a superb round of jumping with a number of fine leaps down the back straight on the final circuit taking him into the lead, and the 100/30 chance asserted before the last under Paul Townend for a facile four and a quarter lengths verdict over Down Ace
Mahon said, "He went all wrong last year. It was something very small with his bloods and my vet fixed it. He's had a nice break and I was going to bring him back over hurdles but he schooled so well recently that I decided to come here.
"Hopefully we'll have a clear run this season, and Punchestown may come into the equation. I've always held him in high regard but he's a very bad traveller and pulled a shoe off coming here today.
"I think he's made for Liverpool but the ground was so bad over here that I couldn't get a run into him. Maybe next year he can go there."
