Forpady gains deserved win at Thurles

Forpadydeplasterer jumps the last in front of Snooze
(Healy Racing Photos)

The 10yo son of Moscow Society went on a winless run of seventeen after his victory in the Arkle at Cheltenham but running over three miles for just the second time in his career he finally got that monkey off his back.

Sent off at 3/1 he raced in fifth for much of the contest before moving into third at the fourth last.

He made a mistake at the third last and went second entering the straight. He hit the front at the last, overtaking Snooze, and he kept on well on the run-in to score by five and a half lengths at the line.

The Sue Bramall trained Snooze was the gamble of the race and having opened at 12/1 overnight with Paddy Powers he was backed all the way in to an opening show on course of just 9/2.

He went off the 4/1 third favourite and he ran a cracker under Ian McCarthy to finish second while the 11/4 favourite Berties Dream was a further four and a quarter lengths back in third under Andrew Lynch for Henry De Bromhead.

Tom Cooper said afterwards: "That is a great relief after three and a half years without a win.

"Things went all wrong for him at Cheltenham (last time out in the Paddy Power Gold Cup). He missed the first few fences and that was it. Paddy Brennan had the brain to pull him up as he seemed to lose all confidence.

"This was an ideal race for him even though it was over three miles on heavy ground which was a worry but he got the job done.

"He will be trained for the Grand National now. He had to be placed in a three mile race to get in it and that’s it done now. He will have two more runs before Aintree.

"He jumped brilliant today which he hadn’t done for a while."

(Additional reporting by Thomas Weekes)