Romeo Coolio digs deep for Leopardstown win

Romeo Coolio had to show he was game as well as classy when getting up in the final strides to deny Irish Panther in the Racing Post Novice Chase at Leopardstown.

Gordon Elliott’s charge had impressed in winning the two-and-a-half-mile Drinmore last time out but was dropping back three furlongs in trip on this occasion.

It looked like catching him out as when Irish Panther took over from the keen-going Westport Cove before the turn for home, Jack Kennedy was hard at work on the 8-15 favourite back in third, with July Flower between the pair.

Approaching the last, July Flower was running on empty as Romeo Coolio’s stamina was keeping him in touch and while Irish Panther still looked to be going strong he was reeled in eventually, with Romeo Coolio winning by half a length.

“I was hoping the line was going to be further away than it was,” said Elliott.

“Jack said Kieren Buckley (on Irish Panther) was very good on his horse, he winged it and got three lengths on him and we got stuck in a pocket.

“The horse was very gutsy, we know he stays very well and we’ll have learned a lot from today.

“I said to Jack straight away that two miles is going to be too sharp for him but he said ‘don’t rule it out yet, he’ll have learned a lot from today as he was spending a bit of time in the air over his fences and was a bit slow away from them’.

“If we got soft ground on the first day of Cheltenham, you’d never know.

“The beauty I have with these owners is that we can leave everything as late as we can. We can enter him in everything and then see what we do.”

When asked if he was surprised that he had to work so hard, Elliott added: “I’m never surprised by anything in this game. I knew when we got in a bit of a pocket at the second that this could get away from us.

“Our plan was to be upsides at the second last and gone but there was nothing we could do.

“He’s a very good horse but talk of Gold Cups means another mile and a quarter, to be honest he could be more of a Ryanair horse than anything. We’ll enjoy today.”

Kennedy rode a treble on the day but missed his final mount after a heavy fall in the second race from El Cairos.