| Course: PUNCHESTOWN | Race date:22/04/08 | Race time:4:50 | Runners:5 |
| Race distance:3m1f | Going:Good | Winners time:6m 16.10s |
| Horse | Jockey | Trainer | Stall | Weight | Age | RPR | OR | Odds | B High | B Ave | B Low | In run | Finished | Dist Behind |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Air Force One | Noel Fehily | C J Mann | 11-10 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 2/1 | NA | NA | NA | NA | 1 | ||
| Pomme Tiepy | R Walsh | W P Mullins | 10-10 | 5 | 0 | 132 | 6/4F | NA | NA | NA | NA | 2 | 13 | |
| Ballycullen Boy | D J Casey | Mrs Maureen Danagher | 11-10 | 8 | 0 | 130 | 7/1 | NA | NA | NA | NA | 3 | 7 | |
| Sky's The Limit | Andrew J McNamara | E J O´Grady | 11-10 | 7 | 0 | 141 | 10/1 | NA | NA | NA | NA | 4 | 4 | |
| Finger Onthe Pulse | B J Geraghty | T J Taaffe | 11-10 | 7 | 0 | 140 | 5/1 | NA | NA | NA | NA | 5 | 21 |
Air Force One made all, drew clear from 3 out, stayed on well from 2 out, eased close home, easily
Pomme Tiepy tracked leader in 2nd, ridden and lost touch with leader from 3 out, kept on same pace without threatening winner straight
Ballycullen Boy tracked leaders in 3rd, dropped to 5th 4 out, soon ridden, went moderate 3rd from last
Sky´s The Limit in touch in last, 4th 4 out, ridden in moderate 3rd before 2 out, soon no extra, dropped to 4th from last
Finger Onthe Pulse raced in 4th, 3rd 4 out, weakened from next, last and eased straight
In front from start to finish, the British raider jumped with relish on his favoured sound surface and, in truth, at no stage looked likely to be beaten. Every one of his opponents were in dire straits before the final half-mile had been entered and, in winning by 13 lengths, the six-year-old showed himself to be massively superior to all those he faced here.
A close second to Albertas Run in the Reynoldstown Chase, Air Force One then hated the testing ground at Cheltenham, after which Charlie Mann wisely resisted the urge to go to Aintree and instead opted for a confidence-booster at Market Rasen. That patience paid dividends, and it helped his charge end the season on a big high. Quite how big next season will be is debatable, and a 33-1 Gold Cup quote looks about right given that Denman and Kauto Star are very much on the scene. However, granted good ground or better, there should be good races to be won with the former smart Flat racer.
Pomme Tiepy has had a huge season, but, on this occasion, she was very firmly put in her place. The relatively fast conditions were always likely to hinder the mare's prospects and, not surprisingly, she found things happening too quickly for her once the winner heaped up the pressure on the run to the fourth last fence. Her rating suggests that she has no pretensions to challenging the very best out of novice company, but the Irish programme has plenty of staying chase opportunities, so she should still have a profitable time next term when the ground is deep.
Andrew McNamara was trying to stoke-up the grey on the run to the seventh-last fence, but he received precious little response. Sky's The Limit's season has tailed off to a significant degree.
Jewson Novices' Handicap Chase winner Finger Onthe Pulse, whose pre-race rating was only 3lb inferior to Air Force One's, clearly did not run his race. Althoughupped in trip for this, his biggest test, he was a spent force before stamina became an issue, and it may be that, like Pomme Tiepy, he found the ground too quick for his liking. Whatever the reason, he is better than he showed here. [LM]
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