Coko Beach and Jack Kennedy pictured on their way to victory© Photo Healy Racing
The market got it all wrong in the Ladbrokes Where The Nation Plays Hurdle, as Coko Beach easily defeated the odds-on favourite Bothar Dubh
While Coko Beach was as short as evens in early shows, he eventually went off at 5/2, with all the money coming for Bothar Dubh (5/2 early, returned the clear 9/10 favourite).
Out on the track, Play The Game and Bothar Dubh took each other on for the lead, with Jack Kennedy happy to sit off the pace in third aboard the Gordon Elliott trained winner.
He closed right up on the front pair from three out and cruised through to lead after the next, keeping on well from there to prevail by eight and a half lengths.
Bothar Dubh had to settle for second under Liam Quinlan for Declan Queally, while Play The Game was a further twenty-three lengths back in third.
The Gigginstown House Stud owned victor finished an excellent second in the Fred Winter at Cheltenham in March and was returning to action for the first time since May this afternoon.
"We knew he'd come on a good bit from it. They went very quick in front and set it up for him really," said Elliott.
"If he rode him again he'd be holding on to him a bit longer, he nearly went to the front then too soon.
"The horse had a good blow, he's only four and he's a nice horse.
"He's grown a lot from last year and if you look at him he looks like a big chaser. I don't know where we'll go now with him. He'll win races.”
When asked if he could go straight over fences Elliott replied: "He could but the problem is that we have a backlog of chasers and we have to keep a few of them!
"I'll talk to the boys and see what they think but he's a nice horse."
Additional reporting by Gary Carson
