Dedigout impressed on his chasing debut at Punchestown

Davy Russell: Enjoyed an armchair ride on Dedigout

Grade One-winning hurdler Dedigout made the perfect start to his career over fences in the Buy Punchestown Tickets On Facebook Beginners Chase.

Tony Martin's six-year-old suffered just one reverse from five starts over timber and signed off last season with victory at the highest level at the Punchestown Festival.

He was unsurprisingly a long odds-on favourite at 2-9 for his chasing bow and seasonal return and he pounded his rivals into submission under Davy Russell.

Only the front-running Beeverstown was able to stick with the market leader from a long way out, but Dedigout had his measure rounding the home turn.

Beeverstown's exertions soon took their toll as he suffered a tired fall in the straight, but Dedigout galloped on remorselessly in the heavy ground to win by 34 lengths from Happy New Year (33-1).

The winner was cut by several layers for the RSA Chase at next year's Cheltenham Festival.

Martin said: "Hopefully Dedigout goes the right way now and we'll see how he comes out of this.

"He had experience from point-to-pointing. It went well and I was happy with his jumping. The first lad (Beeverstown) took him along but he fell through tiredness - they went plenty fast enough on that ground."We'll take it one step at a time with him but hopefully he'll be a good horse. We'll look for something in three or four weeks time and the Drinmore Chase looks the obvious one for him, or else we could go for a winners' of one.

"He bends his knee well and goes well on that winter ground." Martin said: "Hopefully Dedigout goes the right way now and we'll see how he comes out of this.

"He had experience from point-to-pointing. It went well and I was happy with his jumping. The first lad (Beeverstown) took him along but he fell through tiredness - they went plenty fast enough on that ground.

"We'll take it one step at a time with him but hopefully he'll be a good horse. We'll look for something in three or four weeks time and the Drinmore Chase looks the obvious one for him, or else we could go for a winners' of one.

"He bends his knee well and goes well on that winter ground."

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