Super Solness bags another big Leopardstown prize

Solness proved his surprise Christmas success was no fluke with a superb front-running victory in the Ladbrokes Dublin Chase at Leopardstown.

Joseph O’Brien’s charge was a shock 28-1 winner at Grade One level over the festive period, beating the reopposing pair of Gaelic Warrior and Marine Nationale.

Gaelic Warrior was a 6-4 favourite to turn the tables just over five weeks later, but Solness again emerged victorious under an inspired ride from Danny Mullins.

Sent straight to the lead from the off, Solness had built up a significant advantage racing down the back straight and it was clear from a long way out the chasing pack would struggle to bridge the gap.

With Gaelic Warrior never threatening to get seriously involved, Marine National emerged as the biggest threat to Solness in the straight, but O’Brien’s charge found plenty on the run-in under a power-packed Mullins drive to see him off by two lengths.

Gaelic Warrior was 12 lengths further behind in third, with his stablemate El Fabiolo an early faller.

Coral cut Solness to 10-1 from 25-1 for the Queen Mother Champion Chase at Cheltenham, with ante-post favourite Jonbon also trimmed to 4-5 from evens.

O’Brien said: “Aggressive tactics (worked), he jumped brilliantly and I thought what he did from the last to the line showed real tenacity because he was there to be shot at the whole way.

“He has a will to win, Danny got a breather into him between the third-last and the second-last and that was probably the winning of the race in the end.

“I could see him running big race in the Champion Chase. He’ll jump and go and they’ll have to come and get to him to beat him. That’s the way he likes to run.

“He has surprised us. We went to Listowel and he won a big handicap chase with a lot of wight and we thought that was a good pot to pick up with him. Then we ended up in graded races and he’s just kept going forward.”

Mullins was taking over in the saddle from J J Slevin, who instead partnered El Fabiolo for his new retained owners Simon Munir and Isaac Souede.

On who is likely to be on board at Cheltenham next month, O’Brien added: “It will all depend on availability. If J J is available he’ll ride him, if Danny is available he’ll ride him and if neither of them is available, somebody else will ride him!”