Big Zeb confirmed his position at the head of the two mile chase division when justifying evens favouritism in the Paddy Power Dial-A-Bet Chase.
The reigning Queen Mother Champion Chaser looked set to record a decisive victory when asserting away from the last but Barry Geraghty was forced to ask for maximum effort in the final 100 yards as he visibly tired.
The nine-year-old Oscar gelding held on to beat Golden Silver by a length and three quarters, with long-time leader Scotsirish just a length further back in third. Captain Cee Bee never really jumped with any fluency and finished another six lengths away in fourth.
“He'll go next for the Tied Cottage at Punchestown and then back to Cheltenham for the Champion Chase. Hopefully we can keep him ticking over between now and then,” said winning trainer Colm Murphy.
Murphy added, “We were easy on him after Navan and he missed some work leading up to this race due to the weather. Barry said that you'd know he missed that work in the closing stages. He jumped really well and is settling a lot better now. Maybe he's just getting a bit of sense but he's a lot more laid back both at home and in his races.”
Ladbrokes leave Big Zeb unchanged at 4/1 for the “Queen Mother”, with Golden Silver at 10's and Captain Cee Bee pushed out to 14/1 (from 8's).
