Moore savours Listed glory on Saint Le Fort in Foxrock

Saint Le Fort rallied for victory over Savante in the Listed handicap hurdle at Leopardstown with the pair well clear of the remainder at the end of an extended three-miles.

Savante led Saint Le Fort towards the last, but it became tough work in the closing stages of the long run-in for the leader. She was crying out for the line close home and Saint Le Fort got a scent of victory on her inner. He rallied well to get up by a head at 10/1 from the 18/1 runner-up. He Can't Dance (7/1) and Barra Rua (12/1) were more than 15 lengths adrift in third and fourth respectively.

Philip Fenton said: “When he took it up, I was thinking ‘are we there too soon?’” said Fenton.

“Niall (Moore) knew what he was doing. He took the bull by the horns and it worked out.

“He’s in with me six days a week and is a great chap. He had to get down to 9st 9lb today, so that would be tough going. He wouldn’t have had much to eat over the last three or four days. He was adamant he’d do the weight, so fair dues to him for pulling it off.

“The extra half-mile was a big help to him and this was the plan.”

Moore added: "He's a horse that is improving. As a young horse, he probably thought he was a lot sharper that what he is really - he's a very tough stayer. They probably found out that this year.

"French-bred horse and loves soft ground, and probably didn't get enough of it.

"We got a really good start and Philip said to me to be handy. Philip Fenton has ridden enough winners around here to tell you where to be in a race! Once you do what you are told with Philip, you'll never be too far wrong.

"Bit of light as he likes to attack his hurdles when he sees them. I'd say for the first half of the race I wasn't jumping that great, I was getting in a bit tight - missing one or two - but when I asked him to come alive for me then, he was loving it.

"Philip said to me 'you won't be able to do the weight' and I said 'actually I will do the weight on him'. I ride this horse out every single day at home and I could see the form he was in. I would have been gutted if I didn't ride him.

"He's a very fair man to ride for and to improve you as a rider, there is no better man.

"I'm with Philip every day and I give lads a hand in the afternoons - the likes of Frank Hayes. I could be schooling point-to-pointers down in Wexford."

Additional reporting by Gary Carson