Chicago Pope is blessed with speed A course and distance winner in the autumn and second on his return to action at Cork last month, Chicago Pope (5/1) was prominent on the favoured far rail throughout the Declan Landy Fencing Handicap at Naas. Shaken up at halfway in the six-furlong contest, Ben Coen's mount was ridden over a furlong out and led entering the final 150 yards to beat Tahcahwin by half-a-length.  The Starspangledanner gelding is owned in partnership by Tony Smurfit and Samuel Mencoff. Winning trainer Johnny Murtagh said "He came out of his last race very well and, this was the plan. There aren't that many three-year-old only sprints, fifty thousand, nice pot, very competitive race. We're delighted with that performance. Ben says he thinks a stiff 6f is a good trip for him, so we'll probably keep him for that kind of stuff. "He likes it here. There was a question mark about whether he'd be able to go on this better ground but he's a very versatile horse and, I think all ground comes alike to him." Additional reporting by John O'Riordan
