LEOPARDSTOWN REPORT:PANDORAMA PULLED off a Christmas gamble for punters in the Grade One Lexus Chase and encouraged his trainer Noel Meade to continue dreaming of possible Cheltenham Gold Cup glory after bouncing back to form in style at Leopardstown yesterday.
Pulled up before getting to the eighth fence in Newbury’s Hennessy Gold Cup a month ago, Noel Meade’s star seemed to be transformed yesterday as he powered to a six-length success over the English raider, Money Trix, with Joncol back in third.
It brought to an end a run of four consecutive British-trained winners in the €150,000 feature but what counted more for punters was how Pandorama justified a wholesale gamble from as high as 8 to 1 into less than half those odds.
Bookmakers were also in slash-mode afterwards as the winner’s Gold Cup odds were cut to 16 to 1.
“We can keep dreaming of the Gold Cup now. We’re back on track,” a relieved Meade said afterwards. “He might not have beaten Kauto Star or any of them today but it is only his fifth run over fences and he’s entitled to improve.”
A late withdrawal at Down Royal due to blood appearing in a nostril at just the wrong time, Pandorama’s Hennessy attempt didn’t last long and Meade dismissed it as one of those bad days where everything goes wrong.
“You have to remember he’s won two Grade Ones over hurdles, and now three Grade Ones over fences,” the trainer said. “The only horse to finish in front of him is Mikael D’Haguenet (December 2008) and that might not have been a bad performance!”
Pandorama was so sure-footed yesterday that Meade was able to enjoy Paul Carberry picking his way through on the winner as The Listener cut out most of the running. He was a spent force on the run to the last, though, where Carberry sent Pandorama on with a flourish that made him a totally convincing winner.
Money Trix was runner-up for the second year running but Tony McCoy’s visit to Leopardstown proved costly.
Delayed on the way to Ireland, Britain’s champion jockey arrived in time to ride Kempes in the big race and was creeping into contention at the second last when the horse made a bad enough mistake to unseat McCoy.
The legendary rider hurt his wrist in the spill and travelled home with ice-packs on the injury. He will have to pass the doctors in Britain before being allowed ride again.
Uppermost in Noel Meade’s mind, though, was relief that a horse he has always considered a potential Gold Cup type is now delivering on that promise.
“This is not a horse you would run on ground quicker than yielding. He is a big heavy horse and you just wouldn’t do it. He would have to have it good to soft at least,” Meade said in the midst of discussing Pandorama’s blue-riband claims.
“When he won here last year he worked beforehand at Dundalk and didn’t go well. But we sent him back there last Thursday and the track was really deep which suited him. And he worked really well,” he added. “He looked fantastic today and the lad who looks after him was really full of him today.”
Next up for Pandorama will be a return to the course and distance for February’s Hennessy Gold Cup where the titleholder, Joncol, will take him on again.
“There have been so many stops and starts and his preparation has not been ideal,” Joncol’s trainer Paul Nolan said. “He blew up down the back straight and you would like to think there is more to come from him in the Hennessy.”
Meade doubled up in the following handicap hurdle with another well-backed winner in Prima Vista who dominated the finishing stages under Davy Condon, beating the Carberry-ridden runner-up, Tijuana Dancer, by four and a half lengths.
“I’d like to run him in the MCR Hurdle back here. It looked like he wasn’t going to get in so we ran him here. We were hoping he would get a penalty. He should get it now,” the trainer said.
