Ridge Books Cheltenham Date

Last updated: 22nd January 2009   Subscribe to RSS Feed

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Novice Alpha Ridge booked a trip to the Cheltenham Festival when seeing off his more experienced rivals in the Alo Duffin Memorial Galmoy Hurdle at Gowran.

A Grade Three winner earlier in the season, Paul Nolan's seven-year-old was sent to the head of affairs from the off by Davy Russell, setting a sensible pace before starting to turn it up a notch in the final mile.

Favourite Shakervilz looked set to make a battle of it but a bad mistake cost him as Russell had saved a little aboard the 7-1 shot.

Alpha Ridge stayed on gamely to the line to hold Whatuthink by a length, with Shakervilz back in third.

Nolan said: "I didn't like him at Navan on his previous run as he was a bit flat.

"But he was nice and fresh for this - although I thought it might have been a bit too good a race for him.

"There didn't seem any excuses for the rest of them as he went a nice, consistent gallop on terrible ground.

"All being well, he'll now go for the Albert Bartlett at the Cheltenham Festival."