REAL Steel showed plenty of mettle to win the Grade 2 Horse & Jockey Hotel Chase at Thurles.
But the same could not be said of his stablemate Footpad, whose Cheltenham Festival hopes faded as quickly as his finishing effort.
The winner, who was a good fourth behind Min in the John Durkan Chase last month, is a rock-solid performer at this level and was always travelling well under Paul Townend.
He was given a lovely tow around on the final circuit by the keen-going Footpad, third in the King George last month, and he loomed alongside his rival rounding the bend for home.
They touched down together after two out and looked set to fight out a ding-dong finish, but Footpad emptied quickly and was left for dead as Real Steel galloped clear to win by 14 lengths.
Voix Du Reve and Hardline threatened to get involved in the finish, but both delivered short-lived challenges in the straight to finish third and fourth respectively, giving trainer Willie Mullins a 1-2-3.
The bookies slashed Real Steel’s odds for the Ryanair Chase, with Betway going 10-1 from 20, while Footpad’s was pushed right out for the same race.
Townend said: “Footpad probably didn’t fire, I knew Daryl (Jacob) was in trouble as we went round the bypassed fence.
“He was a very good novice hurdler and he probably doesn’t get the credit he deserves, he never runs a bad race.
“He was impressive in the novice handicap at Punchestown last year and that race usually throws up a decent one.”
In the following race, odds-on jolly Elimay gave Mullins a big-race double in the Grade 2 Coolmore NH Sires Capri Irish EBF Mares Novice Chase.
The JP McManus-owned grey, who cost an eye-watering 310,000 at the sales in 2017, was foot-perfect on her chasing debut at Cork last month.
And she took the rise in class in her stride under Mark Walsh, out-jumping her stable companion Cut The Mustard at the final fence to seal an impressive success.
