Racing: Butterfly of steel wins battle with Limestone

Limestone Lad, he of the rock-like constitution, may well be beautifully named, but they will have to go to the deed poll for the old horse's conqueror in the AIG Europe Champion Hurdle at Leopardstown yesterday.

Like-A-Butterfly is nothing like one, and if obduracy and hardiness are the deciding qualities for the true Champion Hurdle on the opening day of the Cheltenham Festival then we may have another Dawn Run on our hands.

Like-A-Butterfly was winning on her seasonal debut, having lost her unbeaten record behind Davenport Milenium on her final start of last season at the Punchestown Festival. Davenport Milenium should have been part of the entertainment yesterday, but a tendon injury was discovered on Willie Mullins's gelding over the weekend and he will take no part in the remainder of the campaign.

It was, nevertheless, a quite compelling event as Limestone Lad typically bolted off in the lead in an effort to draw the venom from faster horses behind. By the time the veteran had reached the straight, all but the mare had cried enough. He may be a Lad no longer but he certainly continues to compete with the spirit of youth and when Like-A-Butterfly first caught and then passed him over the last obstacle the competitive juices started to surge.

Limestone Lad forced his way back at the leader but, as the Americans say, he ran out of real estate as Like-A-Butterfly grimly held on by a head. It was a performance William Hill considered worthy enough to halve the mare's Champion Hurdle odds from 12-1.

"It was a great training performance on Christy Roche's part to have her ready without a prep," Charlie Swan, who won this for four consecutive years on Istabraq, said. "The mare is very quick and dug deep when Limestone Lad came back at us. It was a proper trial, and provided there is cut in the ground at Cheltenham she'd have a big chance of taking the title."

Roche confirmed that would be the route. "The race will bring the improvement in her that I am looking for," he said. "She was on her game today and has really come to hand in the past couple of weeks. What I really like is her battling quality."

The runner-up's performance left him unchanged in the lists for the Stayers' Hurdle at 3-1 second favourite. "Limestone Lad is a lion-hearted horse and lost nothing in defeat," Michael Bowe, son of trainer James Bowe, said. "This will have done him the world of good in the build up to Cheltenham. I'm glad we let him have a crack at the best two-miler in the country."

Favourite backers had a profitable day at the Dublin track, also celebrating wins by Bust Out and Solerina, who enjoyed success in contrasting styles. While Solerina had little more than a subsidised school to extend her winning sequence in the Golden Cygnet Novices' Hurdle, Bust Out needed maximum assistance from Barry Geraghty to take the Arkle Novices' Chase.

On ground that was not particularly suitable for the horse, Bust Out led going to the last, survived an untidy jump and got home by a length from Native Scout. Heading to Cheltenham now for the Irish Independent Arkle Trophy Chase, Bust Out's latest success gave his trainer, Jessica Harrington, some compensation for the fatal fall at the third last fence in this race of stable companion Soltero.

Indeed, this was a weekend that will be remembered sadly, particularly for Bacchanal's death in Cheltenham's Pillar Property Chase on Saturday. His was not a thundering fall, the nine-year-old was merely unbalanced by the top of the seventh fence and slid gently to earth. The manner of his rising, though, suggested that something was horribly wrong. Then the screens came, and, riding pillion, the news that Bacchanal had broken a hind leg.

It was Bacchanal's 20th race over jumps, of which he won 10, including the millennium Stayers' Hurdle. He was one of those for whom running his guts out came naturally.

Nicky Henderson was not there to see his old friend depart, but anyone who has heard the Lambourn trainer talk in the distinctively admiring tone he used when Bacchanal was discussed can guess at his reaction when the telephone call came.