A dramatic late faller, 1-100 loser and a 339-1 winner as Wave makes a splash

So, there you go. With one jump, only a couple of inches too low, Rachael Blackmore was brought back down to earth with a nasty bang.

A third Grade 1 in 24 hours was supposed to be a formality on ante-post Triumph Hurdle favourite Aspire Tower, but the previously unbeaten hurdler hit the top bar of the final flight and came down.

That dramatic late departure appeared to open the door for Cerberus, on whom €11,679 was traded at the minimum price of 1.01 on Betfair, but instead it was Barry Geraghty, wearing the second colours of JP McManus, who swooped to win on A Wave Of The Sea.

View a thrilling finish to the Spring Juvenile Hurdle

Just how unlikely that success seemed coming down to the last, and even halfway up the run-in, is best explained by the exchanges as the winner traded at a high of 339-1.

Even Geraghty was shocked, admitting he thought he was in trouble after turning for home. Little did he know then that a 119th Grade 1 win was about to happen.

The winning jockey said: "It’s a bit of a surprise but a nice race to win. I thought off the turn-in that I had a chance, but the front two pulled away going to the last and I felt I was in trouble.

"Obviously, Rachael went at the last and the horse in front seemed to stop in the last 100 yards and my lad kept going. He stays well but whether he’s good enough to win a Triumph Hurdle I couldn’t say."

Joseph O'Brien was winning the race for a second year in a row after the stylish win of Sir Erec a year ago, but he was not getting carried away with this year's winner and said the first and the third would also have entries in the Fred Winter [Boodles Juvenile Handicap Hurdle].

Barry Geraghty: 'It’s a bit of a surprise but a nice race to win'Credit: Patrick McCann

O'Brien said: "I'm delighted with that. Barry took his time, saved all his energy and he came and picked up the pieces late on. It looked like Cerberus was fighting with Aspire Tower over the last and when he fell he just had a look up and probably saw the stands and everything and stopped in front.

"Mark [Walsh, on Cerberus] said when the other horses came past him, he stayed on again, but it was just too late. I’m delighted we had A Wave Of The Sea there to come and get him.

"They'll have entries in the Fred Winter and the Triumph, and we'll go from there. We'll speak with JP and Frank Berry [McManus's racing manager] and see where they'd like to go."

Aspire Tower and Blackmore appeared none the worse for the spill and both walked away seemingly unscathed, but Ladbrokes pushed the Henry de Bromhead-trained juvenile out to 7-1 (from 4). A Wave Of The Sea is now 14-1 with the same firm, having started the day at 33s.

The only previous winner of this race to follow up in the Triumph Hurdle at Cheltenham in the last 20 years was Our Conor in 2013.

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