The Listener provided Nick Mitchell with the biggest win of his training career to date with a superb all-the-way victory in the JNwine.com Champion Chase at Down Royal.
Andrew McNamara set only a sedate pace in the early stages on the 7-1 chance due to the testing conditions, but he was joined at halfway by the odds-on favourite Notre Pere, who took a crashing fall five out.
Former Gold Cup winner War Of Attrition and fellow British raiders Joe Lively and My Will tried to get involved, but the bold-jumping mud-lover refused to buckle and came home in splendid isolation, 15 lengths clear.
Mitchell said: "I wouldn't be here without this horse, training or anything. I would like to thank the owner for keeping him with me throughout a difficult year last year.
"He started to get some sort of form back at Punchestown, then he had a nasty fall at Leopardstown and was never quite right after that.
"Andrew came to ride him 10 days ago and said he hoped it would be heavy ground as we would see a different horse on that surface.
"That's the horse's fourth Grade One win over here. He'll probably come back for the John Durkan at Punchestown in December."
McNamara capped a fine day by completing a double on Edward O'Grady's Jack Finch in the Rainbow Telecom Handicap Chase, while Mitchell was on target with Ellerslie George in the Badger Ales Trophy at Wincanton.
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