Conflated claims cosy Savills Chase success

Favourite triumphs for Gordon Elliott in Leopardstown highlight.

Conflated put himself firmly in the Cheltenham Gold Cup picture with a dominant success in the Savills Chase at Leopardstown.

The Gordon Elliott-trained eight-year-old was a surprise winner of the Irish Gold Cup over the course and distance last season and went on to run well before falling two from home in Cheltenham’s Ryanair Chase before pushing Clan Des Obeaux close in the Bowl at Aintree.

Expected to improve from his seasonal reappearance in the Champion Chase at Down Royal in October, in the absence of the withdrawn A Plus Tard Conflated was 2-1 favourite and ultimately outclassed his rivals.

Kemboy, winner of this race in 2018 and fourth, second and third in each of the past three years, adopted his customary pacesetting role under Paul Townend, but it was clear the soon to be 11-year-old was struggling to shake off the two years younger Conflated and Jack Kennedy allowed him to stride to the lead heading out onto the second circuit.

In truth the market leader bossed the contest from there home and Kennedy could even afford to begin celebrating on the run-in as he passed the post with five lengths in hand.

Kemboy ran another brave race to be placed once more in second, with the winner’s stablemate Fury Road coming from further back to pick up the bronze medal.

Paddy Power reacted by trimming Conflated’s Gold Cup odds to 14-1 from 33-1, while Coral offer the same price from 40s.

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