Elliott & Ewing take the Paddy Power with 66/1 Favori At a Leopardstown Christmas festival where Gordon Elliott can do little wrong, Favori De Champdou (66/1) led home stablemate Search For Glory (18/1) to give the red-hot Cullentra House trainer a one-two in the 200,000 euro Paddy Power Steeplechase. After a ragged standing start, Sam Ewing's mount, a Grade 2 winner as a novice but a faller in a cross-country chase at Cheltenham on his previous outing, was soon prominent and led at the fourth. In a race where the first 16 home were covered by only 20 lengths, Ewing clearly didn't go that hard in front and, after being headed by eventual third Kinturk Kalanisi (28/1) on the run to the last, the Gigginstown House Stud-owned 10-year-old regained the lead on the run-in. He forged clear to beat the staying-on Search For Glory, also owned by Gigginstown, by four and a half lengths. It completed an extraordinary day for Ewing who had a 20/1 winner in the opener and deputised for the stood-down J J Slevin on Solness (8/1) in the Grade Paddy‘s Rewards Club Chase. Ewing, again replacing Slevin, may well have won the other Grade 1 on the card, the Paddy Power Future Champions Novice Hurdle, but for the fall of Talk The Talk who had just gained a narrow advantage when knuckling on landing at the back of the last. “I can’t believe the way things are going. Sam was good on him and got it easy in front and James (Smith) was good on the second horse, so I’m delighted,” said Elliott. “Maybe the cross-country the last day helped to sweeten him up a bit. It’s great prize money and they are the races you want to win. “Jack (Kennedy) is first jockey, but Sam, Danny (Gilligan) and all the boys are there at home. They have to wait their turn, but it just goes to show when you keep your head down and keep working, you get your chances.” Additional reporting by Alan Magee
