Paul Townend produced Absurde to perfection as last year's Ebor hero got the better of L’Eau Du Sud in the BetMGM County Handicap Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival.
Willie Mullins and Dan Skelton have dominated this event in the last decade, winning eight of the last nine runnings between them, so it was no surprise to see the week’s top two trainers involved at the business end once again.
Paul Nicholls’ Afadil had led the field into the straight where Skelton’s 7-2 favourite L’Eau Du Sud appeared to be travelling supremely in the hands of the trainer’s brother, Harry.
However, Townend was weaving a passage to the front and after the last it was Closutton’s dual-purpose star who pulled out extra to land the spoils at 12-1.
As well as winning the Ebor when given an equally-inspired ride by Frankie Dettori, Absurde finished seventh in the Melbourne Cup, and Townend said: "I got a lot of satisfaction out of that one. What a horse to travel the world and then come back and put in a performance like that on that ground.
"I thought I’d have the pace of them all on his Flat form, but the ground was a big worry."
There was a winner for the north of England at the Cheltenham Festival as Fiona Needham's Sine Nomine edged out 11-8F Its On The Line in a thrilling finish to the St James's Place Festival Challenge Cup Open Hunters' Chase.
The market leader's jockey Derek O'Connor was attempting to enter the record books by winning all three amateur rider events in the same week, but it was Catterick clerk of the course Needham who added herself to the race's roll of honour for a second time.
Needham rode Last Option to victory in 2002 for her father Robin Tate and Sine Nomine, who cost just £2,400 as a three-year-old, sported the same Tate colours here.
The eye was drawn to Sine Nomine throughout the contest as the eight-year-old travelled with real zest in the hands of John Dawson but there was still plenty of work to do as David Christie's long-time leader Ferns Lock gave way on the run to two out and eventual third Time Leader took things up.
Dawson elected to make his challenge up the inner where O'Connor was working away urging last year's runner-up and having found himself short of room after the last, Dawson had to switch and regather his mount before launching one last assault up the Cheltenham hill.
It was a challenge timed to perfection as although Its On The Line soon had Time Leader covered, he had no answer to Sine Nomine's late thrust as the gallant grey became the toast of Yorkshire at odds of 8-1.
