'He wasn't out of it' - no end of drama as Visionarian takes advantage of Saint Sam's capsize

If even half of the drama produced on Sunday can carry over to the remainder of the week, racegoers and armchair viewers of this year's harvest festival are in for a treat.

Only two of the declared four horses went to post for the feature Kerry Group Chase, but it proved the most dramatic contest of an absorbing day. Front-running favourite Saint Sam looked to have marginally got the better of the argument with sole rival Visionarian between the final two fences, but champion jockey Paul Townend's mount ran down the final fence and took a crashing fall.

That left Visionarian to come home alone – and rider Keith Donoghue and trainer Peter Fahey perhaps contemplating buying a lottery ticket on the way home.

Neither was prepared to accept that defeat was a formality, though. Fahey, fresh from a double at Navan on Saturday, said: "I don't think he was out of it and Keith thought he definitely wasn't. He was sticking at it well and was getting the trip well. It's great to win a race like this with him, although it's a pity to win it that way.

"The last thing we really wanted was for Paul to go out in front and be able to fill his fellow up with us sitting behind him; the plan was to try to force it from three or four out. This trip is probably as far as he wants at the moment. He might go to Cheltenham in November, maybe for one of the two-mile handicaps. He's a lovely horse to have."

Wodhooh moves up

We did not have to wait long for the first disqualification of the week. Wayward odds-on favourite Nurburgring passed the post narrowly in front of hurdles newcomer Wodhooh in the opening juvenile maiden hurdle, but the actions of the Joseph O'Brien-trained favourite in coming across and leaning on his main rival from the second-last made the stewards' decision to reverse the placings a relatively easy one.

While Jordan Gainford opened his account for the week with Wodhooh's promotion, JJ Slevin received a four-day ban for careless riding on Nurburgring.

Wodhooh's trainer Gordon Elliott said: "It was a tricky situation but the stewards had to do their job. She's a filly you could see maybe going for that juvenile fillies' race at Aintree.

"I think she'll pay her way and will be black type over hurdles. Jordan said she was a bit deliberate at one hurdle and jumped a couple of others a bit big, but we'd done a lot of work with her at home."

Flanagan in hot water

The 3m maiden hurdle produced its share of excitement too. The main point of interest was the battle as Cian Quirke on favourite Silver Gazette tried to get a run through on the inner of front-runner Dixies Girl, ridden by Sean Flanagan.

A narrow gap appeared to be there between the final two flights and Quirke went for it, but he was shut off as Flanagan edged left on the approach to the last. The stewards took a dimmer view of Flanagan's manoeuvres coming to the last than Quirke going for a tight gap, and suspended Flanagan for seven days for improper riding.

The upshot was that Silver Gazette and Dixies Girl could finish only fourth and fifth behind the Tom Gibney-trained Meyo, ridden by Darragh O'Keeffe, who stayed on well to score by six and a half lengths.

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