Appreciate It made it two from two over fences with an easy all-the-way win at Naas on Sunday.
The son of Jeremy was sent off the 1/9 market leader for the Rathmore Stud Irish EBF Novice Chase, having been a top-class novice hurdler a couple of seasons ago and made a winning start over the larger obstacles at Punchestown in December.
Paul Townend set out to make all the running and had the race in command a long way from the finish, making just one fairly significant mistake but never looking in any trouble.
It was left to Gaelic Arc (25/1) to come through and fill the runner-up spot - some 25 lengths adrift of the Willie Mullins-trained winner - after second-favourite Top Bandit and jockey Jack Kennedy took a very nasty fall quite early on in the two-mile contest. It sadly proved to be fatal for the horse.
Sky Bet shaved Appreciate It's price for the Sporting Life Arkle at Cheltenham in March, going 9/2 from 5/1. Betfair and Paddy Power went 11/2 from 6/1, with the latter firm leaving him unchanged at 6/1 for the Turners Novices' Chase over the two and a half mile trip at the Festival.
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“The same as the last day, you’d love to get a lead on him. He’s idle in front and I was trying to teach him today, and win, without doing something silly," said Townend.
“He showed me the last day that he’s there when I need him.
"It’s grand to get him out again and you’d have to be happy with everything he’s doing. Every day is experience for him."
A tweet on the IHRB Raceday information feed confirmed Kennedy had been stood down and taken to hospital for assessment of a leg injury sustained in the fall from ill-fated Top Bandit.
It read: "Update on Jack Kennedy from Dr. Jennifer Pugh 'Jack Kennedy is being transferred to Tallaght Hospital for further assessment on a leg injury following his fall in the second race at Naas.'"
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