Stand Up And Fight, a horse that had lit up the Hunter Chase division back in late 2018 when winning at Down Royal, returned to his best with success in the Irish National Hunt Steeplechase Committee Celebrating 150 Years Hunters Chase.
Sent off as a 16/1 outsider for the 2m 7f contest, Aine O’Connor rode the eight-year-old with particular confidence, as the pair caught the eye when looming as big dangers on the run from the third-last fence to the home bend.
Although almost six runners jumped the penultimate obstacle in line, it was Stand Up And Fight and the Cheltenham Foxhunters runner-up Billaway that quickened on to the final obstacle, a fence that proved to be the undoing of Patrick Mullins and Billaway, who made an error at the last.
That allowed Stand Up And Fight to go clear on the run-in and prevail by a length and a half. The win for Stand Up And Fight was his first under rules since that Down Royal success, but he had shown glimpses of that promise in the intervening period, most notably with victory in the Banks race at Lingstown in March.
The wide-margin recent Tinahely winner Mighty Stowaway finished in third with the Cheltenham Foxhunters hero of last season, It Came To Pass, returning a very encouraging fourth for Maxine and Eugene O’Sullivan.
“It was brilliant it was such a joy it is not often that you get to ride a horse like him,” said winning rider Aine O’Connor.
“He was going so well I just didn’t want to get there too soon.
“He is a classy horse, he just lost his way a bit. It was great to ride a winner for Enda (Bolger), he has been very good to me.”
🥊 Stand Up And Fight does exactly that
— Racing TV (@RacingTV) November 10, 2020
A costly mistake from Billaway at the last as Stand Up And Fight takes out a cracking hunters chase at @Fairyhouse for Enda Bolger & Aine O'Connor
Cheltenham Foxhunters hero It Came To Pass fourth on his return to action pic.twitter.com/LO2Yr6A4cy
