Mr Diablo and Luke Dempsey in full flow© Photo Healy Racing
Mr Diablo impressively defied his top-weight burden of eleven stone ten when taking the featured Grade B TRI Equestrian Handicap Chase at Leopardstown for the father and son team of Philip and Luke Dempsey.
Equipped with a tongue-strap for the first time, Mr Diablo went off a 16/1 shot but he made a mockery of those odds.
The Presenting gelding led after the fourth here, and when asked he readily asserted approaching the last.
The Aidan Glynn owned eight-year-old then kept on strongly on the run-in. Dempsey could afford to ease him close home and still have a length and three parts in hand over Emcon
Favourite The Gatechecker had made some progress from the back into sixth when making a mistake and unseating Mark Walsh two out.
"We gave him a bit of a break after he ran bad at Cork in October. We knew his work was good but he had a lot of weight. We were worried about that on this ground," explained the winning rider.
"He never missed a beat and jumped brilliant though. He travelled, if a bit too free early on, and he's done it well in the end.
"On his day he's a fair horse — he's been second and third a lot of times last year and it's nice to win a good handicap with him."
For his part Dempsey senior said: "I'm delighted for the owner who hasn't been well. He might go back to Punchestown for the race he was second in last year, and long term he could be a Galway Plate horse."
(AM & EM)
