School Boy Hours and Sean Flanagan © Photo Healy Racing
The Paddy Power Chase (Grade B) rarely fails to produce a thrilling finish and the 2021 renewal was no different as Sean Flanagan produced School Boy Hours (12/1) with a perfectly-timed challenge to lead close home.
A maiden after nine previous starts over fences and making his seasonal reappearance in the 200,000Euros contest, the Presenting gelding moved into sixth off the home turn and stayed on well on the run-in to catch Ben Dundee (33/1) who had hit the front approaching the last. The latter gave everything for his amateur partner Ben Harvey but went down by half a length.
Enjoy D’allen (28/1) stuck to his task well having come off the bridle a fair way out and he finished third with Braeside (14/1) completing the placings.
The winning owner JP McManus had thrown eight darts at this valuable prize and it was just a second career win for the victorious eight-year-old who won a maiden hurdle at Cork in 2019.
Winning trainer Noel Meade said: “I told Sean going out to try and be comfortable as long as you can. He gave him a super ride.
“He travelled well the whole way and jumped well. His jumping was a bit edgy for a couple of years and it's taken him a while to get the hang of it.
“He's a very well-bred horse (half-brother to Finian's Oscar) but it's just taken him a long time and he's been a novice for three years.
“I thought he was travelling well turning in and thought we had a good chance because he stays very well. I think he'll get three-and-a-half miles.
“He was in super form coming here today as well.”
Quotes from Gary Carson
