Irish dominance helps start St Patrick’s Day celebrations early

Chicago Grey, First Lieutenant, Bostons Angel, Sizing Europe, Carlito Brigante and What A Charm; this super sextet eclipsed the best of the home charge on a day of domination by Ireland.

It was illustrated by the Queen Mother Champion Chase which saw Sizing Europe power home from three Irish-trained runners on an unprecedented day of supremacy.

Henry de Bromhead’s 10-1 shot, last year’s Arkle winner, led a long way out for Andrew Lynch and battled on bravely to hold off title-holder Big Zeb, with Captain Cee Bee third and Golden Silver next.

A second Festival victory for connections after Sizing Australia’s Cross Country heroics on Tuesday, Lynch took his charge to the front at the halfway point and was never headed as his jumping passed the toughest of assignments. “I’m delighted and the horse jumped an awful lot better (yesterday),” he said.

“He travelled really well and I was afraid something might just quicken past me up the straight, but he’s a hardy boy.

“Henry always said he wanted a strongly-run, two-mile race, and this is the only race all year that suits him.”

As for de Bromhead, he said the decision to swerve Kempton’s King George Chase – delayed by three weeks because of snow – paid off, even though the horse travelled across the Irish Sea prior to the Boxing Day meeting being called off.

“When that was off, we thought he was proven here so we might as well go for it. We decided that in mid-January,” he said.

“Andrew was phenomenal on him. He has no turn of foot, he just gallops and gallops so you have to just let him go.

“They weren’t going fast enough so Andrew took him up and he jumped great, apart from the second-last.”

Of the other winners, First Lieutenant and Bostons Angel, the latter trained by Jessie Harrington, appear to be future champions in the making.

The only surprise, as Ireland’s clean sweep was halted by the aptly-named Cheltenian in the finale, was that Tuesday’s hero Ruby Walsh did not feature among the six winners.

Master Minded blundered two out in the Champion Chase, but even the great Irishman can take some comfort from this. The winner, Sizing Europe, was the horse that chased home Kauto Star at Down Royal in November.

Perhaps it is an omen as the great Kauto seeks his third Gold Cup tomorrow at the age of 11.