Joy At Last For Super Macs

It has taken a while but Macs Joy finally got the better of Brave Inca to record a much-deserved victory on the final day of the Punchestown Festival.

Sent off the 11-4 second-favourite for the ACC Bank Champion Hurdle having finished behind his old rival on the five most recent occasions they had met, Barry Geraghty executed a change of tactics which paid a handsome dividend.

Never the smoothest of travellers, Cheltenham hero Brave Inca found it even tougher going than usual from an early stage and was being bustled along by Tony McCoy after only a couple of flights.

In contrast, Geraghty always looked happy on his mount and swept past Brave Inca and early leader Hardy Eustace to go clear after the third-last.

As usual Macs Joy failed to find quite as much as might have been expected when in front, but he had already done enough to claim a four-length victory over his old rival.

Winning trainer Jessica Harrington said: 'Barry changed tactics a bit today. He knew that Hardy Eustace was going to make it and he said before the race to me ?don't be surprised if I'm in front at the second-last' and it really paid off.

'Our horse really appreciates this sort of ground and maybe Brave Inca didn't. But he really deserved this, he has been running very well and is such a tough horse.

'If he had only come fourth or fifth at Cheltenham then maybe we would have thought about going chasing with him. But he ran a great race to be second and he is not over-big, so at this stage of his career he will definitely be staying over hurdles.'

Brave Inca's trainer Colm Murphy was far from despondent, despite seeing his pride and joy come off second best.

'I'm thrilled and he's run a cracker but we've always said two miles around here might get him beat,' said the County Wexford handler.

'The Champion Hurdle, without a doubt, will again be the aim and a stiff two miles is what he needs.'

Nicanor followed up his Cheltenham success in gritty style when taking the Grade One Dunboyne Castle Hotel & Spa Champion Novice Hurdle.

Noel Meade's five-year-old left plenty of long faces in Prestbury Park when flooring hot favourite Denman in the Royal & SunAlliance Novices' Hurdle but was much better fancied this time.

The five-year-old was sent off the 9-10 favourite to complete a hat-trick but had to work hard in the closing stages to hold off 11-2 chance Mounthenry by a length.

Ruby Walsh, standing in for the sidelined Paul Carberry, decided to make the running after a lack of early pace and the partnership never saw another rival throughout the two-and-a-half-mile contest, which is likely to be Nicanor's last over timber.

'Chasing has been the plan all along and I thought he might be a Gold Cup horse one day,' Meade said.

'We had thought the SunAlliance Chase would be his aim but now maybe we should be thinking about the Arkle as he has a lot of speed.'

Cashmans introduced him at 25-1 for the two-mile novice championship.

Renee Robeson gave the British raiders a winner of the meeting when springing a 25-1 shock with Olney Lad in the betfair.com Novice Handicap Chase.

? PA Sport