Captain Cee Bee bounced back to his best at Punchestown today, overcoming a burst blood vessel suffered at the Cheltenham Festival, to win the Grade 1 Ryanair Novice Chase for trainer Eddie Harty and jockey Tony McCoy.
Patiently ridden by McCoy, 'the Captain' arrived to take the lead on the run to the final fence, staying on well for a four lengths win over Let Yourself Go
The race was marred by four fallers, Pyscho fell six out, while Riverside Theatre fell at the next and brought down both Fosters Cross and Roberto Goldback
Afterwards Harty reported “it was unfortunate what happened to him at Cheltenham (ran no race when bursting a blood vessel to finish eighth in the Arkle Chase) but he vindicated himself today and proved what a good horse he is. It would have been a shame to finish the season without an accolade for him and we'll enjoy this for the time being before thinking about the Champion Chase with him next season.”
He added “he came back from a lot of problems this year as good, if not better, than ever and he really is a fantastic horse to have.”
Captain Cee Bee was subsequently cut to 10/1 (from 20/1) with William Hill Bookmaker for the 2011 Champion Chase.
