Dashel Drasher showed a tremendous attitude to come out on top in something of a battle of the veterans when fending off a late challenge from Paisley Park in the Long Distance Hurdle at Newbury.
The Jeremy Scott-trained stable star was seemingly expected to build on his reappearance third-place finish in the West Yorkshire Hurdle at Wetherby and was sent off just 2/1 to record a first success since November 2022.
Patrick Neville's Mahons Glory ensured the three-mile contest would be run at a genuine tempo, setting out to make the running from flag fall. The remaining five contenders were happy to bide their time behind the runaway leader and he soon came back to the pack as the field had four hurdles left to take.
Flight Deck picked up the running from that stage but was always tracked by the eventual winner Dashel Drasher, who kicked into a clear advantage once jumping the second last. The ten-year-old still had the advantage jumping the last but it soon became apparent that he had his fight on his hands, with Tom Bellamy producing fellow veteran Paisley Park with his customary late flourish.
However, as was the case when narrowly denied by Champ twelve months ago, it wasn't to be for Emma Lavelle's eleven-year-old as Dashel Drasher, a former Grade 1 winner over fences, stuck his head down grimly to score by a head under Rex Dingle.
Paddy Power cut the winner to 25/1 from 50/1 for the Stayers' Hurdle at Cheltenham next March.
An understandably proud Jeremy Scott told ITV Racing: "I was worried to death when I saw Paisley Park there, because wasn't he coming,"
"It's lovely to see the old boys going head-to-head and I thought Paisley Park ran a brilliant race there. A bit further and he might have done us. It was a great race to watch.
"You start to wonder whether Dashel Drasher had lost his spark. He was beaten so many times last year, but only into second, and you just think it must take its toll. You have to keep picking yourself up and go again.
"So, you do wonder whether or not he still had it and that fight, but he did fight today. It's his kind of trademark and you are always terrified he might lose the trademark, but he keeps fighting, doesn't he.
"I couldn't be prouder of him and it's lovely. It is such a roller-coaster ride having a horse as good as that and it's just lovely to be a part of it."
As for the runner-up, trainer Emma Lavelle, who was gracious in defeat, was delighted to see her stable star run to well in defeat and confirmed that her popular eleven-year-old would likely head to Ascot's Howden Long Walk Hurdle on December 23.
She said: "It was a great run, it was just so near, yet so far.
"He's run fantastic and given away 6lb to the winner and done everything in typical Paisley style, he just clearly hasn't learnt where the winning post is at Newbury.
"Tom has given him a brilliant ride and had Barry [Fenton] in one ear and Aidan [Coleman] in the other telling him how to ride, so he's had plenty of instruction and he carried it out fantastically.
"He's run in that race so many times and he's won it once, but it was like deja vu from last year. I was delighted with him."
She added: "Ascot is the plan, he's been there plenty before and as I've said all along, each race will stand in isolation, and we will see what happens going forward.
"He definitely deserves a crack at that and he's a star, he completely is, and it was brilliant to see the same Paisley back in action."
