Westport Cove battles back for Craddockstown crown Westport Cove rallied bravely to deny odds-on favourite Fleur In The Park victory in the Matchbook Betting Exchange Craddockstown Novice Chase. The top two in the market had the Grade Two contest between them rounding the home turn with 9-4 chance Westport Cove and Paul Townend leading 10-11 shot Fleur In The Park and Cian Quirke as they faced up to jump the second fence from home. Andrew Slattery’s Fleur In The Park soon took over and looked the most likely winner after kicking a couple of lengths clear on the approach to the last but a slow leap gave the Willie Mullins-trained Westport Cove a glimmer of hope and he finished off the stronger to win a thrilling duel by a neck. Mullins said: “He fought back bravely after a mistake at the second-last. He jumped the last well and is a very sharp jumper. “I said ‘well done’ to Paul and he said ‘I hadn’t much to do with it’. The horse gallops and once the tape goes down, he’s gone. “I haven’t any plan made and I wasn’t sure that he’d handle this ground. The fact that he’s won on it is a big bonus and we may plan to stay training him for the winter. We might find something for him in the new year.” Paul Townend commented: "I thought I was beaten on the home turn. We'd gone hard and he wears his heart on his sleeve. "It kind of suited me that the other horse (Fleur In The Park) took me on and he kind of matched me. Punchestown on soft ground in November is different to the festival course here. It's always nice to keep a little bit up your sleeve here, not that I was able to do that but he did manage to take a blow and found himself coming back at the other horse and enjoyed it and rallied. "He's been campaigned throughout the summer, so fitness wasn't going to be an issue and he jumped superbly. If he gets one wrong someday it mightn't be great, but he's fairly sure of what he does and is very accurate and quick. "It's slow ground but I don't think you're going to empty the really good ones on it, it's probably ideal conditions for them."
