Gentleman De Mee has won the Dublin Chase this afternoon at Leopardstown, upstaging rival Blue Lord in the process.
The seven-year-old, owned by JP McManus was a 15/2 outsider in the Grade 1 for Willie and Danny Mullins. Danny substituted for Mark Walsh who was injured in a fall earlier in the day.
Blue Lord was the 1-4 favourite for the race and had dominated the previous meeting between the pair winning by 41 lengths in the Paddy's Rewards Club Chase just after Christmas. However it was the complete opposite this time around as Gentleman De Mee stormed home by seven lengths.
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Mullins said afterwards, "I was disappointed with Blue Lord. It's fantastic for Gentleman De Mee and great for Danny. I thought Danny was very brave on him and he was asking him everywhere the whole way down the back.
"The horse was loving it and responding to him. I thought it was a terrific performance. I was very happy with his last bit of work the other morning, I thought it was as good a gallop as I've ever seen him do.
"Things didn't go right for him at Christmas, possibly a little bit of drier ground here played to his strengths rather than Blue Lord's.
"Blue Lord had a very hard race at Christmas and Paul (Townend) thought that might have had an effect, but I think maybe it was just the change of ground.
"He was a very good novice but was just disappointing at Christmas. We forget about horses very quickly in this game. He proved today that he's still there."
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