Minella Indo fends off Stattler in New Year’s Day thriller

Donal Murphy
January 1, 2023 2:57 pm

2021 Gold Cup winner back with a bang at Tramore.

Minella Indo repelled the challenge Stattler in a thrilling finish to the Savills New Year’s Day Chase at Tramore.

Willie Mullins has farmed the New Year’s Day feature in winning eight of the last 10 runnings, but Minella Indo’s battling display in the hands of Rachael Blackmore ended the Closutton handler’s five-year stranglehold on the Grade Three contest and gave Henry de Bromhead his second win in the race after Champagne West’s success in 2017.

Winner of the Cheltenham Gold Cup in 2021 and runner-up to stablemate A Plus Tard 12 months later, Minella Indo was always to the fore, close to the coattails of outsider Roi Mage in the two-mile-six-furlong event, with the Paul Townend-ridden 4-5 favourite Stattler tracking not far behind.

🥊 Minella Indo vs Stattler – cracking tussle!
The former Gold Cup hero sees off the National Hunt Chase scorer in a thrilling renewal of the G3 @Savills New Year’s Day Chase @TramoreRaces for @rachaelblackmor & @HenrydeBromhead pic.twitter.com/knVnwtgW5d
— Racing TV (@RacingTV) January 1, 2023

It was not until the final circuit when the race developed into a contest and with Townend producing Stattler to challenge at the second last, it was left to the big two in the market to fight out the finish.

Although momentarily headed on the run-in by the strong-staying National Hunt Chase winner, Blackmore conjured up more from her ever-willing mount inside the final 50 yards to regain the advantage in the shadow of the winning post.

Betfair cut the winner, who was recording his first victory since his Gold Cup strike, to 20-1 from 33-1 for a second success in the blue riband in March.