An alarming drift in the market may have had his supporters questioning their judgement but Adamant Approach showed again that horses are blissfully unaware of their price.
Favourite in some betting forecasts for the featured Buy Your Tickets On Line at www.punchestown.com Handicap Hurdle, the veteran top-weight eased from 7/2 out to 5/1 on track.
He turns thirteen at twelve tonight but that fact was far from apparent when Richie Kiely let his mount ease to the front two out.
On his twentieth start of 2006, Willie Mullins' son of Mandalus was soon clear and kept on well from the last to beat Santa's Son (7s in the morning into 9/2) by 2 1/2L.
The runner-up was coming home well but was never going to get to the comfortable winner. This was a tenth career victory for the amazingly versatile and durable Adamant Approach.
Willie Mullins brought-up a 21 and a half to one double when Deutschland made a victorious hurdling bow under Ruby Walsh in the juvenile maiden hurdle.
Bought for Alan McLuckie, as a replacement for Holy Orders, who was fatally injured at Cheltenham in March, he won a ten furlong maiden at Ayr for Michael Jarvis in May on soft ground.
The son of Red Ransom therefore had no problem with conditions here. A convincing 5L scorer from easy-to-back, Shazand, Deutschland received a quote of 20/1 for the Triumph Hurdle with Cashmans.
There was a tremendous conclusion to the attheraces.com free video form hurdle with Studmaster repelling Kadoun by a neck.
Of course this fellow was real bargain-buy, as the half-brother to the 1995 Irish St Leger hero, Strategic Choice, was bought for 7,500 guineas at Newmarket Autumn Sales in 2003.
He gave his connections the thrill of a lifetime in the 2006 Pierse Hurdle. Owned by the Mothership Racing Club, a group of prison wardens from Mountjoy Jail, this win was a welcome return to form for the horse.
A couple of starts over fences didn't really work out for the Snurge gelding. Here, Kadoun, a Cheltenham Festival surprise winner of the Pertemps Final last March, was rated 145, 7Ibs superior to Studmaster.
However under regular partner, Tommy Treacy, Jessica Harrington's chestnut, strongly pressed soon after taking over two out, stuck out his head in determined fashion on the run-in to prevail.
A 26/1 double was completed for the Harrington yard in the Martinstown Opportunity Handicap Hurdle. Andrew Leigh did the steering on Lukie Victor.
He made his move before two out, led at the last and was ridden out to go clear and assert close home, beating Supreme Deal by 3 1/2L.
Dessie Hughes and Roger Loughran will no doubt be hoping the New Year continues in the same way that 2006 has finished as Imperial Sun kept up their sparkling run in the opener.
The ex Hughes-trained Heads Onthe Ground made the pace here but the former Cashman family point-to-point winner and 3m maiden hurdle victor obviously relishes a stamina test.
Challenging at the last, the 5/1 shot kept on well under pressure to lead close home, beating another dour stayer, Dusty Doolan by a neck.
Best World, a half-brother to Katarino, was hampered and unseated rider when 11/10 and was blowing hard post race when beaten into fifth at even money on his last two starts.
Those efforts came after he sprung a 25/1 shock on his first outing for Tony Martin. He was anything but strong in the market at 7/2 but proceeded to bolt-in under Robbie Colgan in the h'cap chase.
The honour of having the last winner of 2006 fell to Tim Doyle and Robbie McNamara, whose first-timer, Vincenti Vitae led home a one, two, three, four of newcomers in the bumper.
