'This is what she always wanted' - Nick Rockett provides poignant Thyestes success for owner as he remembers his late wife

Nick Rockett hammered home in the last 50 yards to land the Goffs Thyestes Handicap Chase under a exceptional ride from Paul Townend which gave Willie Mullins his tenth success in the showpiece contest at his local track.

The eight-year-old had been threatening to annex a valuable kitty, finishing an excellent third in the bet365 Gold Cup at Sandown on his final start of last season and putting in a cracking effort when fourth at Leopardstown last month on his seasonal bow.

On the back of those efforts he went off 9-2 joint-favourite along with the Gavin Cromwell-trained Yeah Man but his supporters must have been getting antsy early on as Townend decided to relinquish his prominent pitch on the son of Walk In The Park, who jumped the last on the first circuit with just four rivals behind him.

However, his priority was finding the best ground on the outside rail and he caught the eye turning for home as he emerged travelling with plenty of venom to hunt down leaders Velvet Elvis and Bushmans Pass.

Nick Rockett's proclivity to jump right was evident at the third-last but he was more fluent at the final two, landing in unison with the plucky Velvet Elvis after the final fence. The winner found a different gear close home, thundering two-and-a-quarter-lengths clear and carrying the biggest weight to victory since Bob Treacy in 1999.

Nick Rockett jumps the last to win the Thyestes Handicap ChaseCredit: Caroline Norris (racingpost.com/photos)

Velvet Elvis stuck on for second, while Favori De Champdou was 13 lengths adrift in third and Yeah Man finished fourth.

Winning owner Stewart Andrew has enjoyed some great days in racing with Ever Blessed landing the Hennessy in 1999 and contesting a Gold Cup the following year but this triumph took on a new layer of meaning due to the track being local to his late wife Sadie.

"Sadie was a local lass from Goresbridge," he said. "Sadly she died in December 2022. Fortunately, Willie managed to get a run into Nick Rockett five days before she passed away so she got to see him run in his first bumper. 

"Today was the plan and to win it for Sadie means so much, it's unbelievable. This is what she always wanted on her home ground. A proper local lass, she lived in Ballyellen, then Graiguenamanagh and then moved over to the UK where I was lucky enough to fall in love with her."

Nick Rockett, who gave Townend a third win in the race to make him the joint-most successful rider in the race with Frankie Shortt, Pat Taaffe and David Casey, was cut into 20-1 (from 33-1) for the Grand National by Paddy Power and Mullins is already plotting the path to Aintree.

"There will be a lot of celebrations locally tonight as Sadie's family are from all around here so it's a dream come true," said Mullins. "We'll probably look forward to a National and we'll have a look at the Bobbyjo. That might be too soon but we'll see how he comes out of this."

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