Salvador Ziggy and Jack Kennedy win the Ml Lynch Novice Steeplechase © Photo Healy Racing
Following the withdrawal of three rivals earlier this morning, Salvador Ziggy made the most of the opportunity to maintain his unbeaten record over fences in seeing off Toss Again to win the ML Lynch Civil Engineering Novice Chase at Killarney.
A decent handicap hurdler last season, including when runner-up in the Pertemps Final at the Cheltenham festival, the Gordon Elliott trained gelding had won his first two starts over fences.
However, despite being rated 20lbs higher than his sole rival over hurdles, Salvador Ziggy was sent off the outsider(evens) off the pair here, as the similarly unbeaten chaser Toss Again topped the market at 4-5f.
The latter made the running as per usual. bowling along in front under Darragh O'Keeffe, as Jack Kennedy stalked the pair in second.
As O'Keeffe began to push along approaching three out, Kennedy moved closer on Salvador Ziggy, taking up the running two out. Pushed out to extend his advantage between the last two fences, Kennedy could afford to coast home by 13 lengths.
Afterwards, the winning jockey said: "It was very straightforward and he jumped great. I couldn't have been happier with him and it was a fairly simple task.
"He has a bit of class about him, isn't a slow horse and is effective anywhere from 2m4f up to three-miles."
Additional reporting by Thomas Weekes.
