Milenium set for Champion campaign after flooring Ned

Davenport Milenium is the new 10-1 favourite with Cashmans bookmakers for next year`s Smurfit Champion Hurdle after romping home in the Emo Oil Champion Hurdle at Punchestown.

Conqueror of the Cheltenham Festival winner Like-A-Butterfly just 48 hours earlier, the 11-2 chance caused a complete re-think of next year`s strategy as he proved too quick for the 4-7 shot Ned Kelly in the home straight.

Indeed Ned Kelly was only third, two lengths behind 33-1 chance Just Our Job, who ran on to be beaten four lengths by the winner.

'I had it in the back of my mind that we might pull him out again today as there are never more than a handful of runners and he impressed me with the way he went right away from Like-A-Butterfly here on Tuesday,' said winning trainer Willie Mullins.

'We had been thinking of going novice chasing with him and then perhaps going to Japan later on, but it looks like we will have to go now for the Champion Hurdle because with Istabraq retired, it`s there forthe taking,' Mullins added.

Mullins felt that champion Ruby Walsh`s mount had learned a lot, particularly in his jumping technique, during Wednesday`s Grade One novice event.

'I told Ruby to get him jumping well over the first three hurdles and it was a help that Ansar set a decent gallop,' Mullins added.

Walsh said: 'He was first class. There was a nice gallop early on but they steadied up down the back which gave me chance to get a breather into him, but he came alight.

'Willie always thought he had plenty of speed and he was right.'

Ned Kelly began to struggle almost as soon as Paul Carberry brought him to challenge the winner after the second last as Ansar began to falter.

'Ned Kelly just didn`t fire, he emptied really,' was Carberry`s post-race verdict.

The lone English raider Landing Light dropped away tamely to finish last of the six runners with a mistake four out when in second place not helping his cause at all.

However, there was an English trained winner of the next race, the Killashee House Hotel Handicap Chase, as Brian Ellison`s Batswing justified plenty of support in the betting ring (7-1 to 5-1) to defeat another English runner Shamawan (6-1) by seven lengths in the hands of Barry Geraghty.

Batswing was a first runner in Ireland for the Malton trainer, who said: 'He was in good form after Aintree so we decided to come here and all his nine owners backed the horse. Norman Williamson was to have ridden him but got injured on Tuesday.'