Sure Reef, right, comes to collar Akorakor at the last in Leopardstown© Photo Healy Racing
Sure Reef was brought through to challenge Akorakor at the last and the four-year-old stayed on strongly in the last 200 yards to land the opening maiden hurdle in Leopardstown.
Noel Meade’s Didntitellya cut out the running before he was headed at the fifth last flight by Akorakor and Painted Lady
Sweeping round the home turn Akorakor was still showing the way but Ruby Walsh was going noticeably well on 5/2 favourite Sure Reef and delivered him upsides Akorakor jumping the last. Willie Mullins’s charge asserted and came in three and a quarter lengths in front of Shield (4/1) who kept on to grab second from Akorakor by a length.
Akorakor had been friendless in the market this morning drifting from 7/2 to 6/1 and it was the same in the ring as he went off 8/1 having opened at 11/2.
Sure Reef had unseated Walsh (at the first obstacle) on his first run in a maiden hurdle at Punchestown last month. Prior to that though, he had won three races on the flat for Mick Halford including at this course in October last year which saw him elevated to a mark of 90.
"He jumps super at home and that's why Ruby went on with him at Punchestown the first day, but he freaked out at the first in the wide open spaces. Today we locked him up and used his ability," Willie Mullins said.
"He's a horse that could go out in trip and it just depends what winners' races come up."
Additional reporting by Gary Carson
