Red-hot Riviere D'Etel makes most of allowance to lay down Cheltenham marker

Saturday: Punchestown

She may have been getting an allowance of 18lb for being a four-year-old filly, but Riviere D'Etel would have won carrying at least another stone as she took apart her opposition in the Grade 2 BetVictor Casino Novice Chase.

Fresh from a sound jumping victory on her chase debut at Fairyhouse last month, Denis O'Regan made it a test of jumping from the off.

However, her victory was not only down to that, as she showed an impressive acceleration to draw away from the favourite Cape Gentleman from the third-last, keeping up the gallop for a 21-length victory with Embittered a further eight lengths away in third.

Paddy Power cut the winner to 14-1 from 33s for the Sporting Life Arkle, and winning trainer Gordon Elliott said: "She was very good; she jumped well and she's a very nice filly.

"We said we would stride along and let her use her allowance. She might have won with 10lb more – I'm not sure about 18 – but she won very well and jumped very well.

"There's a mares' novice chase at Cork in a few weeks' time, which we might look at, and there's a novice chase at Navan around the same time. I wouldn't rule out Leopardstown at Christmas."

Dynamite is explosive

No Bob Olinger, no problem. The withdrawal of last season's champion novice hurdler from the opening beginners' chase due to a stone bruise was regrettable for the viewing public, but was not an issue for owner Brian Acheson and Robcour as they found an able deputy in French Dynamite.

Mouse Morris: 'He has a bit to learn yet but he's going the right way'Credit: Caroline Norris (racingpost.com/photos)

The son of Kentucky Dynamite jumped and travelled like a good horse from the front for Darragh O'Keeffe and won with authority by six lengths from Dewcup and Torygraph.

Winning trainer Mouse Morris said: "That was nice and he's progressing nicely. He has a bit to learn yet but he's going the right way.

"He's not in the Drinmore. I wouldn't mind getting another run into him before we go into Graded company, but the programme is difficult when it comes to winner-of-one chases. He's still backward but he loves that ground."

Six for Glenquin

The remarkable Glenquin Castle made it six wins on the spin in handicaps, three over fences and three over hurdles, and put up his best performance to land the competitive three-mile handicap hurdle for Martin Brassil and Mark Walsh.

The horse started his sequence in a Roscommon handicap chase in August off a mark of 85, and landed his first handicap hurdle off the same mark at Tipperary last month. Up 18lb, he hit the front on the run-in to win by three-quarters of a length from Final Orders.

Brassil said: "It was a great performance by the horse and by Mark, he knows him so well now, and he knows not to hit the front until the last."

Results, replays and analysis

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