It’s On The Line outbattled Vaucelet to gain a hard-fought success in the Irish Daily Star Champion Hunter Chase.
The six-year-old had flew home from off the pace to finish second at Cheltenham and a change in tactics which seen him ridden aggressively from the front produced the desired result.
Once his closest pursuer Chris’s Dream departed at the third-last fence, hampering the recent Fairyhouse victor Annamix in the process, it was the favourite Vaucelet who was the only danger to the six-year-old as the pair raced a distance clear of their rivals.
Despite Barry O’Neill seeking to keep Vaucelet as far away from Derek O’Connor’s mount as he could in the home straight, great jockeymanship from both riders saw the pair jumping the last closely matched, and whilst O’Neill switched David Christie’s charge for one last challenge, Its On The Line found plenty for pressure to prevail by a length.
The pair ultimately crossed the line some 40 lengths clear of the Aintree Foxhunters third Lough Derg Spirit who inherited third when Drumcliff lost Aine O’Connor at the final fence.
Bought by Emmet Mullins for just £8,000 having run twice between the flags for Ellen Doyle, the Presenting gelding was sporting the colours of CCR Racing Syndicate which is the Cistercian College Racing Society, the school which Mullins himself attended, and fifth-year students from the school were present to guide him into the Punchestown winner’s enclosure.
A dramatic running of the @irishdailystar Champion Hunters Chase sees Vaucelet beaten again in a close finish as Its On The Line stays on best for Emmet Mullins & Derek O'Connor at @punchestownrace %uD83D%uDC4F pic.twitter.com/goCgNux09k
— Racing TV (@RacingTV) April 28, 2023
