Paisley Park claimed his third successive victory in the Cleeve Hurdle with an astonishing run that saw him almost left at the start.
The Emma Lavelle-trained gelding won the staying feature in both 2019 and 2020 before his 2021 bid for a treble was scuppered due to waterlogging – and this latest tilt looked well and truly blighted, too, as he spun round and lost lengths on the field.
Gradually eased back into it by Aidan Coleman, the 5-1 chance – winner of the Stayers' Hurdle in 2019 – jumped the last level with favourite Champ and powered up the hill to register a three-and-a-quarter-length success that had at one stage looked an impossibility.
Nicky Henderson’s Champ was the eventual runner-up, with Rebecca Curtis’ Lisnagar Oscar third.
"He’s tried that a few times, he has that in him – I was waiting for him and he still did it. I thought I was doing enough, but he’s just probably getting a bit older and a bit wiser," Coleman said of Paisley Park’s start.
"He’s a very good horse, people have been writing him off this year. This is really special, the longevity of this horse is just a testament to his ability and his character. This is his track, I know he’s won two Long Walks at Ascot, but he’s won three Cleeves now and a Stayers’.
"I said to Paddy (Brennan) at the top of the hill that I was still in it, even though I’d whipped around. They weren’t getting away from me and I knew he’d hit the line. He’s just different around this track, regardless of what goes before or after, this is just very special.
"It’s very special for a multitude of reasons, mainly just how much of a champion he is."
Paisley Park bounces back to form with a vengeance as he wins a third successive Grade 2 Welsh Marches Stallions At @ChapelStud Cleeve
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