Master Minded scrapes through in Champion Chase

Master Minded narrowly avoided defeat in the first feature race of the 2009 Punchestown Festival, holding off a strong challenge from Big Zeb to win the Kerrygold Champion Chase.

Ruby Walsh and Master Minded looked to have the race sown up with under a mile to go in the Kerrygold Champion Chase. However, Barry Geraghty and Big Zeb refused to settle for second place and pulled level with Master Minded as the two front-runners approached the final fence.

However, as has happened so many times in the past with Big Zeb, his jumping let him down. An awkward jump saw him lose ground to Master Minded, and Big Zeb was unable to close the gap on the run-in, eventually finishing a head behind the banker’s favourite.

“Ruby said he was half-pricking his ears and not really racing from two out, but I told him to go on to keep it simple,” a relieved Nicholls told reporters after the race. “It was a gamble coming here as it is the back-end of the season, and even though he has only run three times, he was back in the middle of July.”

“He is a funny horse as now he is older he has got a bit idle at home, which often happens. Big Zeb ran a blinding race, but jumping is the name of the game and we have won on the day. If Big Zeb had jumped the last it would have been an interesting race.”