1st Road To Respect 14/1
2nd Baron Alco 10/1
3rd Bouvreuil 10/1
4th Thomas Crapper 7/1
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Race Report
Road To Respect remarkably gave Noel Meade his first success in a Cheltenham Festival Chase when winning Thursday's Brown Advisory & Merriebelle Stable Plate.
On a phenomenal day for the Irish after Willie Mullins saddled three of the first four winners on the card and Pat Kelly landed the Pertemps with Presenting Percy, the Gigginstown House Stud-owned six-year-old bounded up the hill after taking it up from Baron Alco to score by six lengths at odds of 14/1.
He recovered from a bad mistake early on to power through the field when it mattered most and saunter into the lead.
Winning jockey Bryan Cooper was in splendid isolation as the winner crossed the line, with Gary Moore's Baron Alco staying on admirably for second having been up with the pace throughout.
Festival regular Bouvreuil, now placed at the meeting for the last three years, was back in third for Paul Nicholls and Sam Twiston-Davies, while Thomas Crapper filled the places in fourth for Robin Dickin.
Reaction
Winning trainer Noel Meade said: "I thought we had three good chances to be in the money today. I was a bit disappointed with Snow Falcon, but I thought Road To Respect had a great chance. I actually wanted to run him in the RSA Novices' Chase, but Gigginstown had something else for that and this race made sense, given the way the handicapper assessed him.
"The ground was a big help to me. We've always thought of him as a very nice horse. On his second chase run, in the Grade One Drinmore Novices' Chase at Fairyhouse, he was very disappointing - he was only third or fourth, and I thought he might win. He came here and was clearly well-handicapped!
"I thought early on maybe he didn't get the [two and a half mile] trip and I dropped him back to two miles, which was probably a mistake. We went for three miles last time at Navan when the ground was very bad, and Sandra Hughes' horse [Acapella Bourgeois] got away. We beat the rest of them a long way that day and he stayed galloping to the line, so we were happy with that.
"I didn't realise that was our first chase winner at The Festival. I've always thought maybe I would have won more here if I'd run more in handicaps rather than the good races, but I always think this is the championships and we try to come and win a championship. Maybe Harbour Pilot would have won a handicap chase here the first year he ran in the Gold Cup [2003, when he was third to Best Mate], but he was placed in two Gold Cups and that's the way I've always approached it."
Cooper, who struck on Tuesday with Apple's Jade, said: "He travelled really well, he's been running in good novice races all winter long and I was a bit worried if he lacked the experience.
"He didn't jump the first great, but after that I gave him a bit of room to get his confidence. It was a messy race but he bolted up.
"Noel is a great person to ride for. I had a lot of luck for him early in my job. I've struggled to ride a winner for him the last couple of years, but he does a great job.
"It's great to get another one on the board."
Winning owner Michael O'Leary said: "It's great and I'm delighted. He wants good ground and is one of the better novices in Ireland.
"I didn't think he had a chance today, but Bryan gave him a peach of a ride. He had him in the right place the whole time as there was a lot of traffic problems in behind.
"It was wonderful. Someone said it was Noel Meade's first chase winner so it just goes to show if you keep banging your head against a brick wall, eventually you will get one!"
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