Road To Respect, far side, comes through to beat Yorkhill© Photo Healy Racing
Road To Respect steered a straight course to beat 4/7 favourite Yorkhill who jumped markedly left throughout the Grade One Ryanair Gold Cup Novice Chase at Fairyhouse.
Yorkhill had the race at his mercy as he looked to assert between the final two fences, however, he went to run out at the final fence and just clambered over the inside of it.
This enabled Road To Respect (7/2) to grab the initiative. Ruby Walsh got after Yorkhill on the run-in and the pair stayed on well to close to within a neck.
Winning jockey Bryan Cooper said: "We went a good gallop and Ruby was obviously jumping out to his left and to be fair my lad was going a little left as well. I was jumping and winging everywhere and I was keen not to let Ruby off too quick. My lad took me everywhere.
"It's hard to know what would have happened but if Ruby had of jumped the last any way well he would have won. He has given away so many lengths and is still on the bridle turning into the straight. He (Yorkhill) obviously has a massive engine. He had me cooked everywhere. They are there to be jumped. My lad is tough and galloped all the way to the line."
Owner Michael O'Leary added: "He was great. Clearly the best horse finished second but you have to jump them. Usually we struggle to win any of these Ryanair-sponsored races - normally Willie (Mullins) or JP (McManus) win them all but it's very nice.
"I think Noel has brought him on incredibly well this year. His run in Cheltenham was fantastic. He is very closely related to Road To Riches so I'd say clearly good ground is the key to him and he got good ground in Cheltenham and he got good ground here today. Yorkhill is clearly the superior horse but we are very happy to win one."
Trainer Noel Meade said: “We thought about running him in the National. He worked on Wednesday and we just thought he might need another week. If he’d worked better we might have run him in the National but it’s all worked out great.
“The other horse (Yorkhill) did it all wrong and we benefited from that. He’s obviously a very good horse. We were hoping Willie’s horse would do that and he did. All is fair in love and war!
“I think he’s a proper Grade One horse anyway. He was electric at Cheltenham and he’s proved it. I think our fella will improve and get further.
“I don’t know if he’ll go to Punchestown. We’ll have to discuss it with Eddie and Michael (O’Leary) but that more than likely will be it for this season. He’s a horse that doesn’t take a lot of work, and I think the less you do with him the better he is.”
Additional reporting by Alan Magee
