Roi Du Mee put hot-pot Forpadydeplasterer (clinically abnormal post race, Barry Geraghty reported that his mount jumped to his right throughout) in his place in the Grade 3 Star "Best For Racing Coverage" Chase as the long odds-on chance looked a pale shadow of his former self at Punchestown.
The vibes about Forpadydeplasterer were good beforehand and of course the race conditions were overwhelmingly in his favour but from some way out here it was clear that Barry Geraghty wasn't as happy and he might have expected to be.
Forpadydeplasterer did close under duress at the second last but it was quickly apparent that Davy Russell had plenty left up his sleeve on Roi Du Mee. He eventually crossed the line sixteen lengths to the good. Russell was completing a double in the Gigginstown House Stud silks having earlier scored on the Noel Meade-trained Il Fenomeno 0AGordon Elliott trains Roi Du Mee but he wasn't present (on his way to Cheltenham for his runners tomorrow) and Russell remarked: "I was always happy. I rode him the other morning and felt he'd improved from last season.
"He just lobbed along there today – it was very straight-forward.
"Gordon indicated before that he's thinking of going for the Nicholson race in Down Royal."
Meanwhile Tom Cooper said of Forpadydeplasterer: "He guessed at a few fences and I wouldn't say the trip was an issue.
"He was rusty more than anything which isn't surprising given that he's basically been off for 11 months. His run in the King George was a non-event.
"I wouldn't rule out the race in Down Royal but my feeling is that a drop in trip and better ground is what he wants."
Forpadydeplasterer's rider Barry Geraghty said: "He was beaten too early for the trip to have been an issue and you can't beat match practice."
