Stattler digs deep to land Grade Three honours at Naas

National Hunt Chase a likely target for Mullins’ runner.

Stattler took his unbeaten record over fences to two with a game staying performance in the Naas Racecourse Business Club Novice Chase at the County Kildare track.

Willie Mullins’ seven-year-old outpointed Farouk D’Alene after a prolonged tussle to land the Grade Three contest by one and a quarter lengths in the hands of Paul Townend.

Stattler’s stablemate En Beton made the running but he gave way after jumping the third-last fence. That left Stattler and Farouk D’Alene to fight out the finish, with the 11-10 favourite getting the better of the argument as his stamina kicked in at the business end of the three-mile-one-furlong test.

The leading pair pulled 17 lengths clear of Vanillier in third place.

Mullins said: “I was hoping he’d jump better. He was a bit novicey but I suppose it was a big step up in class from his first win (over fences) and it told there.

“He’ll learn a lot and with the way he jumped, he needed the three miles and will probably have no trouble going further.

“It was a fight the whole way up the straight and he only asserted in the last 100 yards but I’m happy he did that.

“I’d imagine that will probably put him into the National Hunt Chase in Cheltenham. A longer trip going a bit steadier will suit him.”

Stattler was cut to 3-1 from 9-2 for the National Hunt Chase with Betfair and Paddy Power, edging ahead of Run Wild Fred who was a non runner at Naas.

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