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Newmill - ran out surprise winner.
Newmill put himself right on course to defend his Queen Mother Champion Chase title as he registered a convincing success over hurdles at Gowran Park. John Joseph Murphy's charge was a nine-length winner of the Seasons Holidays-sponsored feature at the Cheltenham Festival last year. However, he had failed to sparkle in two starts this term, finishing a distant last in the Morgiana Hurdle last November before falling at Punchestown earlier this month. The nine-year-old showed he was right back to his best though when accounting for Macs Joy in the Red Mills Trial Hurdle. The Grade Two contest had been billed as a stepping stone to the Smurfit Kappa Champion Hurdle for 4-9 favourite Macs Joy but he had to settle for second as Newmill made all the running and kept up the gallop to land odds of 7-1. Macs Joy was not as fluent at some of his hurdles as his followers have come to expect but he still looked the probable winner as he swung into the straight hot on Newmill's heels. But Barry Geraghty was soon pushing along while Andrew McNamara merely held Newmill together and nudged him home to record an impressive eight-length success. Murphy said: "Receiving the 8lb made a big difference and on his best form over hurdles the form has worked out pretty well. "The horse showed toughness when they came at him at the third-last and he'll definitely go for the Champion Chase now. "I'd prefer good ground at Cheltenham but as long as it's not heavy I'll be happy enough. "I feared the ground might get a bit sticky but I walked the track earlier today and felt the hurdle track was in brilliant order." However, Jessica Harrington was not too disheartened by the performance of Macs Joy on what was only his second start of the campaign. "I felt beforehand that giving 8lb would be tough and Barry (Geraghty) said he hated the ground," she said. "Some horses run a bit flat on their second run back and this might have been the case today." Harchibald, runner-up in the 2005 Champion Hurdle, was making his first racecourse appearance since last October and travelled well until tiring in the heavy going before the penultimate flight, eventually finishing a well-beaten last of five. His handler Noel Meade said: "He just can't handle that ground but I'm not sorry that I ran him. "He was beaten at the second last but at least he's not come back in unconscious and we'll go to the Champion (Hurdle) now."
