Sweet success for Gibney's chaser The 125-rated Raffles Dolce Via made all under JJ Slevin to take the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Beginners Chase at Leopardstown. A third winner at the two-day fixture for the double green silks of Simon Munir and Isaac Souede, the Kapagarde gelding, who had finished a moderate fourth in the Grade 1 Drinmore Novice Chase at Fairyhouse in November, was clear down the back straight in the two mile, one furlong contest and kept on well from the second-last to beat Come Walk With Me by eight lengths. Odds-on favourite Karoline Banbou was beaten in third when taking a tired fall at the last. Winning trainer Tom Gibney explained “It worked out very well for us with the small field and being left alone.” “He’s a forward-going horse and I said to JJ after the last day (unplaced at Gowran) that I’d drop him back in trip and let him rattle. “He was kind of stopping at the three-quarter-way stage in his other two races, having looked to be travelling really comfortably before that. I didn’t know why, because he’s not slow. “The drop back in trip has definitely suited him. “The race cut up, but visually it looked good.” Additional reporting by Gary Carson
