Keith Donoghue produced Stumptown with a perfectly timed run and then held off the late thrust of Mister Coffey to add yet another victory over the Cross Country fences at Cheltenham.
Donoghue has won four of the last six versions of the Glenfarclas-sponsored race at the Festival in March after three triumphs on Tiger Roll and last season’s victory on Delta Work.
Stumptown, trained by Cheltenham regular Gavin Cromwell, was sent off the 4-1 favourite having bounced back to form with two wins over the Punchestown banks course of late.
In true Donoghue style, he was ridden quietly early on but he still had plenty of ground to make up when last year’s winner Latenightpass joined Escaria Ten before the turn for home.
He was travelling ominously well, though, and on the run to the last obstacle breezed in between the two, looking sure to coast home.
However, Nico de Boinville conjured up a late thrust from Mister Coffey, also second over the fences in November, and Donoghue had to briefly ride his mount out to win by a length.
Cromwell said: “You’d have to be delighted with that and Vanillier (ninth) ran well too.
“Stumptown absolutely loves it and it’s obviously a huge asset to have Keith on board because he’s very good at these cross-country races and gets a good tune out of the horses.
“There was a little concern as Stumptown has been around Punchestown a few times now and is very good at the banks and it is a different discipline here with the hedges. We were hoping that he would take to it and he’s taken to it well.
“We said we’d try it at the Punchestown Festival as we thought the handicapper had hit his max and it seems to have brought around a new lease of life for him. It’s unbelievable – he’s grown legs for it.”
Returning to Cheltenham for the Festival is an obvious target and Cromwell will also now consider a crack at the Grand National.
He added: “That (Grand National) would definitely be on the agenda.
“We thought we’d try the cross-country route with Vanillier too as he’s getting a little bit older and he seemed to enjoy it, so he could come back here for the cross-country at the Festival as well.”
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