He hadn't been seen since winning at the Galway Festival 126 days ago but Moscow Mannon stripped fit and well to stylishly land the concluding Irish Racing Yearbook (Pro/Am) INH Flat Race at Fairyhouse under Declan Lavery.
The Moscow Society gelding travelled well to deliver his challenge and though Joxer looked like he might prove troublesome for a while, in the end the winner went away to prevail by four and three parts of a length.
Brian Hamilton trains Moscow Mannon for Jonathan Flanagan and he said: "The owner turned down decent money for him after Galway. Declan rides out for Willie Mullins and he said this fellow is as good as anything Willie has down there.
"We've had the Cheltenham bumper at the back of our minds for him. We'll see how things go now.
"He's a fair decent horse and he's got a flat sort of pedigree.
"We were a bit concerned about the ground but he answered that question today.
"He could go for a bumper at Naas at the end of January and that'd make up our minds about Cheltenham."
The well-touted Ziff didn't perform and came home last, tailed off. (AM & EM)
