Stumptown justified favouritism and landed a first Irish-trained victory in the Velka Pardubicka Chase at the 135th attempt today, 1 3/4l to the good over Czech-trained High In The Sky. It was a first victory in the race for Keith Donoghue, whose opening experience of this race 12 months previously had been to part company with Coko Beach 4 from home.

This was the strongest foreign challenge for the race in some time, with three runners trained outside the home territory. But as always with this unique and well-feted race, there are no easy wins and a legion of hard luck stories.

Last year’s winner Sexy Lord took them along at a fair pace in the early stages, and there was still plenty of pace up front approaching the best known fence on the course, the Taxis, at four of  31. The Irish dream could so nearly have ended there, Stumptown in rear landing sharply but Irish jockeys are made of stern stuff. Donoghue collected his reins and pressed on, hunting round the first circuit of this 4 1/2m marathon.

Among the others, both Gentleman de Reve and Cavalry Master both showed prominently, and whilst both faded as the race progressed, we should assume they may figure again in the Crystal Cup Series, the dashing grey French-bred in particular giving his young American amateur the spin of a lifetime.

After his mistake at the taxis, Donoghue allowed Stumptown time to find his rhythm again, bringing up the rear for much of the race, whilst the running was made by Sexy Lord, from Cuwall, Chelmsford and Gentleman de Reve, and so it continued as the field bunched with 11 fences to cover, and Cuwall displacing the long time leader.

After hitting a flat spot half way through, Donoghue set Stumptown to his work, making ground over each of the final five fences to range upsides approaching the last. Trainer of second -placed High In The Sky, Dalibor Török, might have thought this was his moment at the last, but Stumptown had more to give and put 1 3/4l between them by the line, the fast-finishing Caryjape putting in his best work in the finish to close the gap behind the leader to 7 3/4l.

“He gave me a great spin, he’s just a fabulous horse,” Donoghue told the packed grandstands post-race. He’s right of course, and this is a crowd that appreciates their own version of the Grand National, cheering the runners with each pass of the grandstand in scenes reminiscent of Cheltenham, a point noted by the visiting Senior Steward of the jockey Club and Chair of Aintree. In the small world of international Jump racing, Pardubice deserves recognition for creating a race when most British trainers are only starting to surface their big guns.

Happy connections The Furze Bush Syndicate with trainer Gavin Cromwell and rider Keith Donoghue ©Adrien Seite

Owners of Stumptown, The Furze Bush Syndicate, have already tasted Crystal Cu victory at Cheltenham twice, but may well follow a cross country route through the Crystal Cup given their high handicap rating. Trainer Gavin Cromwell, who can do little wrong presently, has become a master of scooping high value international races, and you can expect to see him back at Pardubice again even allowing for the 3 days his horse took to travel from Ireland.