'Exceptional' Ash Tree Meadow jumps his rivals into the ground in cosy Grade 3 success at Killarney

Last season's Galway Plate winner Ash Tree Meadow landed a fourth Graded victory in the BoyleSports An Riocht Chase at Killarney on Monday under a fine front-running ride from Sam Ewing.

The eight-year-old was last seen finishing seventh in the Punchestown Champion Chase, but was taking a step back up in trip on his favoured good ground and won cosily to give Ewing and trainer Gordon Elliott a quickfire double having landed the preceding handicap hurdle with Uhtred.

Gentleman De Mee brought some Grade 1 form to the race having finished runner-up to Captain Guinness in the Champion Chase at Cheltenham and went off the 8-11 favourite in the four-runner event, but he made little inroads late on after a couple of mistakes on his first try over 2m4½f before fading into third.

By contrast, Ash Tree Meadow jumped soundly out in front in the Grade 3 and Ewing urged his mount to inject some pace into the race before the third-last which put the chasing French Dynamite and Gentleman De Mee under immediate pressure.

Two clean leaps followed and his rivals never looked like landing a blow on the run-in given the 4-1 chance found plenty for pressure. He came home a five-and-a-half-length winner, with the Mouse Morris-trained French Dynamite rallying to finish second.

Ewing told Racing TV: "He did it very well. He travelled well and jumped brilliant. Two miles was a bit sharp the last day. His jumping is exceptional, he takes lengths out of his rivals everywhere, so I was happy enough to drive on with him. There was plenty left from a long way out.

"I was waiting for something to come to me jumping the last, but he kept finding and did it well at the line. He has plenty of boot, too. He's a good horse and it's nice to win with him here. He's won over 2m6f, so he's fairly versatile and loves a bit of nicer ground."

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