Rockett prevails after Intense Bobbyjo battle Nick Rockett followed-up on his Thyestes success, as he got the better of Irish National hero Intense Raffles in the feature at Fairyhouse this afternoon, the Follow ToteRacing On Twitter Bobbyjo Chase. The pair dominated this Grade 3 contest from the outset, with the Willie Mullins-trained victor gaining a narrow lead from two out. Pushed along by Paul Townend approaching the last, the 5/6 favourite needed to be ridden out on the run-in to see off the dogged effort of Intense Raffles (11/4) by three quarters of a length. The pair went six-lengths clear of Capodanno and Mark Walsh in third, while Minella Cocooner (supported from 11/2 to 10/3 near the off) was fourth. "I thought it was a nice performance, beating an Irish National winner in the process, and it was a nice trial for Aintree. I'm very pleased with him," said Mullins. "It was tough coming back from the Thyestes only four-and-a-bit weeks before. That was tough and should leave him spot on for Aintree. "They were very tough conditions there and he'll probably take a little while to recover from that but he has the time. "I was very impressed with how slick he jumped, his jumping was excellent. "We aimed him for the Irish National last year but it didn't work. "He's a horse I think has the potential to run well around Aintree. Bobbyjo winners have been lucky around there. "We just need to get there and have a bit of luck in running." When asked if it would be a tough choice for Townend at Aintree he added: "We won't have to make any of those choices yet but it would be very hard to get off last year's winner with the way he handled the track." On the defection of I Am Maximus due to an infection, Mullins added: "He'll be alright, it just happened on the wrong day for him. "It could be a blessing in disguise for him, not carrying that weight around today on the ground. We won't know until Aintree." STEWARDS REPORT Owing to the low trajectory of the sun, the Raceday Stewards granted permission for fences six and seven to be omitted from this race Additional reporting by Gary Carson
