Tulpar (far side) and I'm An Izz Wizz jump the last© Photo Healy Racing
Luckyinmilan was backed as if defeat was out of the question in the Martinstown Opportunity Handicap Chase but he proved a bitter disappointment as Tulpar beat fellow 16/1 shot I’m An Izz Wizz in a thrilling finish at Punchestown.
The 9/10 favourite looked thrown in off a mark of 86 considering he’s currently 116 over hurdles after winning three handicaps last year.
However Oliver McKiernan’s charge made a few mistakes and Barry Browne was scrubbing him along to no avail from around halfway eventually finishing a tailed off tenth.
Tulpar was prominent throughout under Ryan Treacy and drew clear along with I’m An Izz Wizz after the penultimate fence.
The front-running grey jumped the better of the pair at the last but Katie O’Farrell still managed to go about a neck up on I’m An Izz Wizz on the run-in.
However Tulpar rallied gamely in the closing stages, and the very lightly raced ten-year-old (only fifth run under rules here) got up to score by a nose.
There was a yawning gap of 29 lengths back to Goldmineinthesky with Stoughan Cross completing the places in fourth.
Winning trainer Pat Neville said, “He’s a lovely horse and we got him after Listowel. We’ve been tipping away with him. He’s a beautiful type of a horse, a real chaser.
“He’s owned by a lovely women (Carol Ginn Mole), a lady, who loves the game and loves racing. I wanted to run him at Christmas but she said to me about three weeks before it that she was going to England. I said if she wasn’t around I wouldn’t run the horse so we waited for here and picked this race.
“He jumped well. If the (omitted) second last had been in it would have suited us a bit better but he fought back well. He gave him a great ride.
“I’ve nothing planned after today. We’ll take it step by step. He liked that ground. He’s a big horse and you’d imagine he’ll go on heavy ground.
“These big galloping tracks suit him. There might be something in Leopardstown towards the end of the month. He was placed there last year.
“He ran a great race over hurdles one day when fourth behind Golantilla in a maiden hurdle so that’s an option also.”
(GC & AM)
