King Of Kingsfield continues fencing progression

King Of Kingsfield notched his third win from four starts over fences in the BetVictor Novice Chase at Punchestown.

Gordon Elliott’s seven-year-old was highly tried over the smaller obstacles last season, being deployed in a pacemaking role for his esteemed stablemate Brighterdaysahead in both the Neville Hotels Hurdle at Leopardstown and the Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham.

He made the most of having his sights lowered with back-to-back chase wins at Galway and Ballinrobe over the summer and while he came up short in his hat-trick bid at Roscommon a fortnight ago, finishing third behind Westport Cove, he was a 5-4 favourite to bounce back in County Kildare.

After travelling strongly into the home straight, he found the front-running Birdie Or Bust a tough nut to crack, but he eventually took her measure on the run-in to score by two and a half lengths in the hands of Jack Kennedy.

Elliott said: “Jack said he’s relaxing a lot more. He was very keen as a young horse, and Jack said he thought he might have won snugly if he hadn’t nodded at the back of the second-last.

“I think it was a good enough performance. As soon as the ground goes (soft) you won’t see him until the spring.

“He’s three races won now (over fences) so we can’t complain. He had to do the donkey work (for Brighterdaysahead) last season and it wasn’t really fair on him.”

Gameball made an impressive jumping debut in the BetVictor Maiden Hurdle.

A 12-length winner of a Ballinrobe bumper during the summer for Andrew Slattery, the five-year-old had since joined Henry de Bromhead and was a 15-8 shot to make a winning start for his new connections in the BetVictor Maiden Hurdle.

Darragh O’Keeffe’s mount swept to the front approaching the final obstacle and kicked six lengths clear to add his name to a roll of honour which includes subsequent Cheltenham Festival heroes Labaik (2016), Samcro (2017) and Marine Nationale (2022).

Paddy Power cut Gameball’s Supreme Novices’ Hurdle odds to 33-1 from 40-1 and De Bromhead said: “He was keen a lot of the way and jumped quick.

“Basil (Holian, owner) spotted him in Ballinrobe and bought him. He’d been working nicely. He wouldn’t blow you away at home but the Slatterys said they really liked him and recommended him.

“He did that nicely, so we’ll get him home and go from there.”