Pandorama delivers timely reminder in Lexus Chase

Pandorama

Ireland craves a new equine hero and it may have just found one after Pandorama won the Grade One Lexus Chase on the opening day of the weather-delayed Christmas meeting at Leopardstown.

The days when Ireland had the first three home in a Champion Hurdle twice at the same time that Kicking King and War of Attrition were winning successive renewals of the Cheltenham Gold Cup have been receding in the collective memory.

And even some of the possible replacements were failing to register on the radar. Pandorama had been one of the leading staying novice chasers in the first half of last season – winning the Grade One race at this corresponding meeting – but had then been sidelined by a muscle problem.

The problem with his first run of this season, in the Hennessy Gold Cup at Newbury in November, was a mistake at the second fence and being brought to a virtual standstill by fallers two fences later. Even Pandorama’s trainer, Noel Meade had said: “I suppose he’s a little bit the forgotten horse with some people. But I've never forgotten about him.”

The reminder was delivered in style when he became the first Irish-trained horse in five years to win the Lexus Chase. Granted the race lacked a horse of the quality of Kauto Star, Denman or Imperial Commander, but it was a step in the right direction and a typically cool ride by Paul Carberry.

The Listener, back from a year off with a tendon injury and relishing the heavy ground, was still leading at the second-last where Kempes gave Tony McCoy a crashing fall in which he injured his left wrist. That ended a day the champion jockey will prefer to forget because travel disruption meant he had missed his earlier rides and he then felt in no shape to take his final mount – although in true fashion he declared he would be fit for Newbury tomorrow where he is due to ride Big Buck’s in the Grade One Long Walk Hurdle.

There were half a dozen closing on The Listener off the final turn but non going better than Pandorama, on whom Carberry seemed confident enough to almost take a pull when the horse made a mistake at the third-last as he waited for the moment to strike in the straight. He eased Pandorama between The Listener and Glencove Marina on the run to the last beat Money Trix by six lengths with Joncol plugging on for third.

Grounds for hope that Pandorama can make an impression at Cheltenham in March may well rest on the going, as he is at his best when the mud is flying. But Meade will be aiming for the Gold Cup with a prep run in the Irish Hennessy Gold Cup at Leopardstown in February.

Pandorama, who has been beaten in only one of his nine completed starts under Rules, had been a source of frustration for Meade this season. He was withdrawn before the start at Down Royal in early November after being found to be bleeding and worse was to come when he ran in the Hennessey Gold Cup at Newbury. “When he went down to the second fence, which is a ditch, he just looked at and launched himself about two lengths before [he should have] and landed right in the middle of it,” Meade explained. “He was very lucky not to fall so then he lost his confidence, jumped the next ok and then he ran into two fallers [at the fourth]. Game up, ball burst.”

An impressive gallop on the Polytrack at Dundalk last week gave Meade hope and it was fulfilled as he watched this race unfold. “Today, from the minute he jumped off, everything seemed to go right. Everything seemed to be happening for him spot-on – except for the last one on the far side when he clouted that - but then Paul gave him a breather, let him get his lungs back up and away we went again.”

Meade spared Pandorama the rigours of the Cheltenham Festival as a novice hurdler, and was denied the chance by injury last season but now he must hope that elements are in his favour this spring. “You wouldn’t run him on good ground at Cheltenham,” he said. “He’d have to have it good to soft at least and obviously soft would be better, which is probably unlikely but you never know.”

The last time the Gold Cup was run on ground described officially as soft was when Master Oats slogged through the mud to win in 1995. Meade may care to remember that.

Paul Wheeler

Mourad asked to take on the world

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