Dawn Rising defies in-running high of 499-1 as Mike's reputation is dented

Sunday: Navan

How much drama could a four-runner race with a 2-7 favourite possibly contain? A hell of a lot, as it turns out.

Affordale Fury crashed out at the last when still clinging on to a narrow lead. The red-hot favourite American Mike looked to have been gifted the race and traded at 1-10 in running on Betfair, but he was punch-drunk on the run-in and could not contain the late surge of 10-1 shot Dawn Rising, who defied an in-running high of 499-1 on the exchanges.

Mark Walsh showed his hand last and it proved a winning one. The jockey said: "They went a proper gallop and there was no hiding place the whole way. The two of them were tiring coming to the last and I felt I was going to catch them either way. He's a nice horse. He was rated 102 on the Flat and I think he wants three miles. He stays all day."

American Mike was undoubtedly the big disappointment of the race and was pushed out to as big as 14-1 for the Ballymore Novices' Hurdle with bet365, having begun the day as their 5-1 joint-favourite alongside old nemesis Facile Vega.

Trainer Gordon Elliott said: "Jack [Kennedy] said he wasn't travelling from a long way out. He was very flat."

Paddy Power introduced the winner at 16-1 for the Albert Bartlett and 12-1 for the Ballymore.

Dor lifts gloom

It wasn't all doom and gloom for Elliott and Kennedy despite the shock defeat of American Mike, as Fil Dor and Jungle Prose completed a double to take the trainer's total to 37 winners for November.

Fil Dor was particularly impressive in winning the Boardsmill Stud Irish EBF Beginners Chase, seeing off Saint Roi after a ding-dong battle, and the four-year-old was cut to 10-1 (from 14) for the Arkle.

Elliott said: "Jack said it rode like a proper race. He was foot-perfect apart from one down the back that he landed on top of. You couldn't help but be happy with him and I’d imagine he’ll go to Leopardstown at Christmas now [for the Grade 1 Racing Post Novice Chase]."

On Jungle Prose, who made it four wins on the bounce, he said: "She’s gone up 40lb and is going to go up a few pounds again. We’ll look at the valuable handicap here in a few weeks and maybe a Pertemps qualifier for her now."

Jungle Prose (Jack Kennedy) wins the 2m6f handicap hurdleCredit: Patrick McCann (racingpost.com/photos)

Jetara lands plunge

Jetara landed a plunge in the Listed bumper under Tom Hamilton for Jessica Harrington, going off at 5-1 having been as big as 20-1 at the start of the day.

Harrington said: "It’s some family and you can’t beat breeding. She’s tough and we kind of got it wrong at Gowran, where she stayed on really well and we didn’t make enough use of her."

Comfort 12-1 for Triumph

Paddy Power initially went 20-1 about the Joseph O'Brien-trained Comfort Zone for the Triumph Hurdle after his stylish success in the opener but that was soon gone and cut to 16-1, before being chopped again to 12-1. Winning jockey JJ Slevin was certainly impressed.

He said: "Joseph has a nice team of juveniles and here's another nice one. The main thing was to get him jumping and travelling, to give him a nice introduction today. It was good that he was able to win impressively."

West is best

The Grade 1 Lawlor's of Naas Novice Hurdle on the second Sunday in January could be on the agenda for Cheveley Park Stud's Grangeclare West after he defied a massive absence to land the 2m4f maiden hurdle. He is now 5-1 favourite for the Albert Bartlett.

Grangeclare West: on the way to winning impressively under Paul Townend at NavanCredit: Patrick McCann (racingpost.com/photos)

Trainer Willie Mullins said: "He impressed me. The obvious race for him would be the Lawlor's of Naas. He surprised me in the manner he did it there. As I said to the owner before racing, we could run well here and finish fourth or fifth. It looked a good race."

Results, replays and analysis

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