Paddy Flood on Final Demand - 'He looked big, awkward, and slow, to be honest'

The Irish Angle team look back at the Ladbrokes Novice Chase and the performances of Final Demand and Kaid D'Authie

The Grade 1 Ladbrokes Novice Chase was run over 2 miles 5 ½ furlongs on soft ground and featured just four runners.

Kaid D’Authie, trained by Willie Mullins and ridden by Mark Walsh, won the race convincingly, leading from close to home and staying on well to beat Western Fold by over four lengths.

Final Demand, who had been the odds-on favourite, finished a disappointing third, well beaten and unable to match the pace on the day. Meanwhile the other runner, Jimmy Du Seuil, fell at the last.

The result was seen as a notable upset because Final Demand had been heavily backed and widely expected to dominate, but it was Kaid D’Authie’s jumping and stamina on soft ground that proved decisive, and he’s now being talked about as a leading contender for the Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase at the Cheltenham Festival.

Final Demand disappointing

Speaking on this week’s irishracing.com’s Irish Angle Paddy Flood talks about Final Demand “There was nothing left to quicken into the jump. So he had to sort himself out, and he looked big, awkward, and slow, to be honest.

“That’s what he looks like - a big, slow horse.

“Unfortunately, Final Demand isn’t going to be the next superstar coming out of Ireland, because even if he does up his game and improves his jumping, he’s getting beaten too far to be at that level.”

Hard to know what the winner achieved

Kaid D’Authie is by Choeur Du Nord (FR), a French-bred hurdler and rising National Hunt stallion by Voix Du Nord, who won two of his three starts over hurdles in France and has already sired several black-type and Grade 2 performers, bringing proven jumping ability to his progeny.

His dam, Kadifette (FR), is by Califet, a sire line renowned for producing strong, staying National Hunt horses; while Kadifette had a modest racing record herself, her pedigree contributes stamina and durability, making Kaid D’Authie well suited to fences and the rigours of top-level novice chasing.

Johnny Ward speaks on Kaid D’Authie: “He’s definitely a horse on the up. His jumping was good, he stayed all the way to the line, and he did it well on the day. It’s just hard to know what he achieved.

“Gaelic Warrior beat Western Fold by four and three-quarter lengths. Western Fold didn’t handle the ground as much; he’s rated 157.

“Gaelic Warrior was good, but the form of the race in hindsight - he probably was the horse to back.

“Final Demand looked an absolute Walk In The Park type coming into it.

“The one time he came off the bridle at Cheltenham, there wasn’t a lot there, and you were expecting him to improve over fences.

“The worry I had was the hype around his jumping, but Navan wasn’t a strong race and Limerick completely fell apart.”

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