Dreaper looking to Welsh National

Navan"s biggest race of the year, the William Hill Troytown Chase, is never short of thrills and spills and the 2008 renewal of the Proudstown event proved no different. Ashbourne jockey Andrew Lynch steered home Notre Pere for his Kilsallaghan neighbour, trainer Jim Dreaper, in an exciting climax, finishing a length ahead of Operation Houdini, with 17 lengths back to the third placed Ballistraw. Of the 15 starters, only six finished the €100,000 event, with favourite Officer De Reserve being driven off course when Chelsea Harbour forced the English raider through the running rail, capping a dismal weekend for trainer Paul Nicholls. For Andrew Lynch, it was a welcome return to the winner"s enclosure following a six month absence. He had been sidelined for some months following facial injuries suffered in a fall at Ballinrobe. 'He had to do it the hard way, but he"s a very tough horse,' he said afterwards. The 6-1 shot led into the straight, closely tracked by Stephen Gray on Operation Houdini, and the pair pulled clear of top weight Ballistraw and Andrew McNamara. Dreaper, who was winning the race for the second time as a trainer, said the Paddy Power Handicap Chase at Leopardstown over Christmas, or more likely the Welsh National, are on the shortlist. 'He might go for the Paddy Power, but would probably end up with the top weight, so the Welsh National is more likely, but we"ll see. 'He was intelligent out there and he fiddled a few, but he got there in the end.' Dreaper himself won the race as a jockey for his father, Tom, on Black Secret in 1970, and as a trainer with River Tarquin in 1991. Tony Martin, trainer of last year"s winner, Royal County Star, was bidding to become the sixth trainer to win consecutive runnings of the Troytown, but his Hold The Pin, after creeping closer from the fourth last, was soon struggling to make further inroads. The Troytown Chase was televised live on the BBC, where Paul Nicholls watched his 9/2 favourite Officer de Reserve. He had a run of bad luck over the weekend, with former Navan-based jockey Denis O"Regan bringing Black Apalachi home in front of his Mr Pointment at Aintree on Sunday for Dessie Hughes, and the previous day"s Kauta Star unseating of Sam Thomas. The opening race at Navan on Sunday, the Cusack Hotels three-year-old maiden hurdle, saw the Gordon Elliott-trained Tharawatt, the 4/6 favourite owned by Michael O"Leary"s Gigginstown House Stud, romp home by 23 lengths under Davy Russell. However, this distance was bettered in the next race by Noel Meade"s Pandorama, a spectacular 26 length winner of the Monksfield Novice Hurdle. Paul Carberry brought home the 8/13 favourite which has now emerged as the leading novice hurdler in Ireland, and will probably be back in Navan for the Barry and Sandra Kelly Memorial in December. It was the second success of the weekend for Carberry and Meade, who recorded a win at Gowran Park on Saturday with 9/4 favourite Island Life in the Irish Racing Yearbook Handicap Chase, Carberry"s second win of the day in Wexford. He had earlier ridden Another Ambition to victory for Tony Martin, 7/1 winner of the Thomastown Handicap Hurdle.