Ballycasey and Ruby Walsh take off at a fence© Photo Healy Racing
Grade 1 winner Ballycasey recorded his first success since November 2014, as he took the feature at Killarney this afternoon, the Grade B MSL Cork Mercedes-Benz Handicap Chase.
The grey son of Presenting was providing his trainer Willie Mullins with a treble on the card (earlier successful with Screaming Rose and Briar Hill , while rider Ruby Walsh was completing a quick double (won previous race on Briar Hill).
A fine third on his last start in the Galway Plate, Ballycasey was expected to return to winning ways today, as he went off the 13/8 favourite.
Settled in second in the early stages, he improved to lead after the fifth. He was challenged by Righville Boy on the run to the last, but he found more when pushed out on the run-in, going on to score by a comfortable three and three parts of a length. Rightville Boy had to settle for second under Andrew Lynch for Patrick Neville at 8/1, while A Decent Excuse (12/1), who won this race last year, was a further four and a half lengths back in third under Mark Enright for Eugene O'Sullivan.
Ruby Walsh said afterwards: "He deserved that, and on his day he is a good horse. He's a Grade One winner in the past, and ran well in the Galway Plate last time.
"All the non-runners helped, and he was always going to go on it with a dig while the others weren't."
Additional reporting by Alan Magee
