Ryanair boss Michael O'Leary was celebrating on Saturday as Conflated won the Paddy Power Irish Gold Cup on day one of the Dublin Racing Festival at Leopardstown.
The 18/1 shot was a surprise winner of the €250,000 contest, which is worth over €142,000 to the winner, but it was a dominant display from the eight-year-old.
Trained by Gordon Elliott, who had endured a frustrating day up until this point, Conflated had been on the fringes as a novice hurdler, just behind the likes of Latest Exhibition and Envoi Allen.
Sent over fences last season, O'Leary's Gigginstown House Stud-owned gelding showed ability without suggesting he was capable of winning a race of this nature.
However, last time out, albeit in handicap company, Conflated looked a different proposition, bolting up and earning a 12lb rise in the process.
Connections decided to roll the big dice and see where he stood – and were rewarded with the biggest prize in Irish steeplechasing.
Never far from the pace-setting Frodon and Kemboy, Conflated was always travelling sweetly for Davy Russell before hitting the front down the back straight.
Having seemingly put the race to bed a long way out, he understandably got tired on the run to the line and Minella Indo, who bounced back from his disappointing effort in the King George, closed to within six and a half lengths, albeit without looking like getting to the winner.
Janadil was third, faring best of the Willie Mullins runners, with the favourite Asterion Forlonge fourth.
Ladbrokes slashed the winner to 12/1 from 66/1 for the Gold Cup at Cheltenham.
Russell said: “I’m very surprised, but Camilla (Sharples, travelling head girl) warned me every step we took when I got on his back, she said ‘I’m keeping the faith, this fellow is going to run a big race’. That gave me confidence going out.
“He jumped super and did everything really, really well. He jumped straight as a die, he can hang a bit but nothing today.
“It was either one or the other – I was either gone too soon or they would never catch me. To be fair to the horse, he kept responding. The more I pulled out of him, the more he responded.”
Elliott added: “He got into a lovely rhythm. I was keen to run him (in this) during the week, we were thinking of going for a handicap, but thankfully Eddie and Michael (O’Leary) let me run him in this.
“I wanted to find out where I was going, how good or bad he was. I know he’s a horse with a massive engine, but he can be very hot and cold.
“It’s great for Michael and Anita, and the whole team in Gigginstown and all the team at Cullentra. We have a massive team behind us and to win a race like this is unbelievable.
“We’ve had three seconds today so to win a Gold Cup now has just made up for it.
“I said to Eddie before the race that he’d either win or pull up and thankfully he won.”
Looking towards future targets, Elliott said: “We’ve got the Gold Cup, the Ryanair and he’s in the Grand National. We’ll have a chat with Michael and Eddie and myself and Ryan (McElligott) and Lisa (O’Neill) and the whole team.
“He jumps a bit left so we said we’d go down the paint today and he actually had loads of room down there so it worked out grand.
“I thought it was going to be one of those days, but the only thing I had in my head was at least the horses were running well. If they had been second-last my head would have been on the ground.
“It’s a testament to the team the way the horses are running. Today has been Willie’s day and we were picking up the pieces, so it was just nice to pick the Gold Cup up.
“If you told me this time last year I wouldn’t have been in Cheltenham I would have laughed at you and if you asked me last September if I would have the team of horses I have now I would have laughed at you as well.
“It’s a testament to the owners and the team I have in the yard.”
Speaking after the race, a Paddy Power spokesperson said: "Gordon Elliot’s Conflated, may have gone off at 18/1 in the Paddy Power Gold Cup, but he had been backed by a few shrewdies at prices as big as 50/1, which explains the cheer in some quarters when he crossed the line.
"He’s now a 7/1 chance for the Cheltenham Gold Cup where he’ll have a decent chance of scooping the €150k bonus Paddy Power put up if a horse managed to pull off the double at Leopardstown and Cheltenham next month."
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