Thedevilscoachman secured his third win over fences in the Grade 3 Hugh McMahon Memorial Novice Chase, a performance which left bookmakers impressed enough to slash his price into a general 7-1 favourite for the Irish Grand National on Easter Monday.
Noel Meade’s seven-year-old was giving weight to all his rivals here and could be seen travelling menacingly behind Grandero Bello under Denis O’Regan coming to two out, but an awkward jump saw him slightly lose his momentum.
However, once O’Regan gathered up his mount there was plenty left in the tank and he jumped alongside the leader at the last before striding away to score by two and a half lengths.
Options remain open for Thedevilscoachman as he holds entries in the Grade 1 Gold Cup Novice Chase and the Irish National, both at Fairyhouse over Easter weekend.
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