The leader Salmanino puts in another good jump © Photo Healy Racing
Liz Doyle's Salmanino was tough off the front in the extended 2m6f beginners' chase as he obliged under Donagh Meyler.
The seven-year-old French-bred gelding made the breakthrough after two runner-up spots in beginners' chases at Cork and Down Royal.
He really began to crank up the pressure on his rivals between the final two flights and ran on well on the run-in to prevail by a healthy four and a quarter lengths. From The Ashes (11/4 from a morning price of 7/1) came in second while Salmanino's stablemate, Old Soul was seven lengths further back in third at 7/1.
Doyle said: “It's job done, I suppose. He was entitled to win that, it was the ideal race for him.
“We'll maybe look for a staying handicap now. I'm so thankful for these races, where would I be going with a soft ground horse in the middle of the winter without these races? I would have been lost, wasting my time out the back somewhere and then you are struggling in handicaps.
“There is a great gang involved (Fauda Partnership) and they really enjoyed that. Paul McGinley's brother Mick has a leg and his dad is involved as well.
“There is a staying novice handicap in Navan before Cheltenham if the ground was still heavy. He's not a quick horse.
“Hopefully he can be competitive again, but that's job done for the year. His jumping is very good and for a big horse he is very clever.
“He needed to win that today as that was his Gold Cup.
“Old Soul jumped absolutely beautifully.
"He's not a hurdler and he's not quick and the longer you stay over hurdles the more you sour these horses. Because he jumps a fence well, we've gone chasing straightaway. You'll see him again in one of these races in a month's time.”
Additional reporting by Gary Carson
