Minella Indo (7/4) beats Stattler in thrilling finish to the Grade Three Savills New Year's Day Chase at Tramore on Sunday; former Gold Cup star records first victory since famous day at Cheltenham in March 2021
Sunday 1 January 2023 15:21, UK
Minella Indo repelled the challenge of Stattler in a thrilling finish to the Savills New Year's Day Chase at Tramore.
Willie Mullins has farmed the New Year's Day feature in winning eight of the last 10 runnings, but Minella Indo's battling display in the hands of Rachael Blackmore ended the Closutton handler's five-year stranglehold on the Grade Three contest and gave Henry de Bromhead his second win in the race after Champagne West's success in 2017.
Winner of the Cheltenham Gold Cup in 2021 and runner-up to stablemate A Plus Tard 12 months later, Minella Indo was always to the fore, close to the coattails of outsider Roi Mage in the two-mile-six-furlong event, with the Paul Townend-ridden 4/5 favourite Stattler tracking not far behind.
It was not until the final circuit when the race developed into a contest and with Townend producing Stattler to challenge at the second last, it was left to the big two in the market to fight out the finish.
Although momentarily headed on the run-in by the strong-staying National Hunt Chase winner, Blackmore conjured up more from her ever-willing mount inside the final 50 yards to regain the advantage in the shadow of the winning post.
Betfair cut the winner, who was recording his first victory since his Gold Cup strike, to 20/1 from 33/1 for a second success in the blue riband in March.
An emotional De Bromhead, whose son Jack tragically died aged 13 in a pony racing accident in November, said: "It's an emotional day when you see pictures of Jacksie up around the place.
"Often these things don't happen in racing but to win the big race here at our local track on this day is fantastic. The support from everyone really helps us through it."
