Gordon Elliott’s Sire Du Berlais pipped outsider Dashel Drasher to seal victory on Thursday’s PaddyPower Stayers Hurdle.
Ridden by Mark Walsh, the horse had to come from behind a busy pack with Flooring Porter holding an excellent lead before being overtaken by the 66/1 outsider.
But Dashel Drasher didn’t have the pace to keep out the fellow older horse and the second placed finisher faced a steward’s enquiry with some suggesting that he had blocked off third placed Teahupoo.
The stewards investigation didn’t effect the winner of the race, but concluded that Drasher had indeed blocked Teahupoo. As a result of this, Teahupoo would move up into second place with Drasher pushed down into third as a result of the penalty.
Walsh only a little over a month ago had been rushed to hospital having suffered a back injury having fallen from a horse and it wasn’t definite he’d be able to compete at the festival.
“It’s been a rush to get back but thankfully I got back with all the help of my surgeons and doctors,” said Walsh.
“He’s hard as nails and I’m delighted for him and Mark travelled the whole way really well so I’m just delighted.”
The next race of the afternoon the Magnets Plate Handicap Chase gets underway at 16:10.
