Lecky Watson makes all for Punchestown prize

delivered a fine front-running performance to claim top honours in the Sky Bet, For The Fans Novice Chase at .

The Grade Three contest has an illustrious roll of honour, with Carefully Selected, Envoi Allen, Bob Olinger and Spillane’s Tower among the recent winners.

Having proved too strong for Supreme Novices’ Hurdle hero Slade Steel on his chasing debut at Naas last month, the Willie Mullins-trained Lecky Watson was a 5-4 favourite to follow up in the hands of Paul Townend and was soon bowling along at the head of affairs.

Down Memory Lane, last seen finishing third in the Grade One Henry VIII Novices’ Chase at Sandown, was always Lecky Watson’s nearest pursuer and looked a major threat jumping the second fence from home.

However, the market leader found more once challenged and while he was untidy at the final obstacle, he was in the clear and went on to score by eight lengths.

Down Memory Lane was a clear second, with his stablemate Farren Glory the only other finisher in third after Ifiwerearichman crashed out when still in contention at the last fence.

Coral cut Lecky Watson to 12-1 from 16-1 for the Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase at the Cheltenham Festival in March.

Townend said: “He enjoyed the scenery anyway, I had a job getting him to concentrate.

“At the fourth and third last when we were going on were the best jumps he threw, but the engine is in there and he settled it very quickly.

“He’s probably more mature this year as when Mark (Walsh, riding Down Memory Lane) did come with me, he wasn’t trying to charge off.

“The engine is there but we’ll have to work on his jumping, I suppose. It was frozen all week and we couldn’t give him a refresher either which probably didn’t help.

“He settled it quickly and they were no slouches behind him. I always thought he was a stayer but he was just so hard on himself. If he relaxes more it’s out (in trip) rather than back you’d be going.”