Rivage D'Or finally broke a frustrating sequence of placings at Naas on Sunday and today it was the turn of Arabella Boy to reward his patient connections and followers when he just edged out odds-on favourite Ballymak in the Irish Stallion Farms European Breeders Fund Beginners Chase at Fairyhouse.
Paul Carberry took the mount on the chestnut son of Beneficial for the first time and he looked sure to collect on the six-year-old at the first time of asking but he 'got lonely' out in front and gave Ballymak (in trouble from some way out) another chance on the run-in. With the pair separated by a fair bit of ground it looked like Ballymak would get there but Carberry cajoled that bit extra out of his mount to win by a head.
Enda Bolger trains Arabella Boy for Andrew Berry and the Limerick handler remarked: "I think we'll go for the four-miler at Cheltenham. A bit of nicer ground there would be up his alley.
"After that win his confidence should be up a bit. He slowed to pop the last but he's a safe old leaper.
"The lorry is going (to Cheltenham) so he might as well be on it."
