Saint Sam & Paul Townend come to grief at the last with Visionarian in behind© Photo Healy Racing
Visionarian followed-up on his Ballinrobe success, as came home alone in the feature at Listowel this afternoon, the Kerry Group Chase.
Two non-runners meant this two-and-a-half mile contest turned into a match, with Saint Sam sent off the 2/5 favourite under Paul Townend for Willie Mullins.
Bidding for his fourth win in-a-row, the French bred market leader attempted to make all. Pushed along and less than a length to the good, the 159-rated bay edged to his right and crashed out at the last.
This left the Peter Fahey-trained victor to come home in splendid isolation under Keith Donoghue in the colours of owner Basil Holian.
Fahey, Holian and Donoghue also combined to score with Toto Too at Navan yesterday afternoon.
"You don't want to win a race that way but he wasn't out of it at the time. He stayed at it well and seems to get the 2m 4f well. Keith said he definitely wasn't out of it," Fahey, who was recording his third winner of the weekend, disclosed.
"We were chatting before the race and we didn't want Paul (Townend) to get a freebie out in front so we wanted to force it from three or four out. If it didn't work out for us, it didn't work out. It is great for Basil who is a great supporter of ours.
"I think 2m 4f is as far as he wants now and all the press are saying he is better in small fields so I had to go with what they were saying. He'll tip away and might go to Cheltenham for a two-mile handicap at the November meeting."
Additional reporting by Thomas Weekes
