Conventional wisdom may be that "they don't come back" but Buck Rogers blew convention out of the water with a stirring defeat of Rince Ri and His Song in Saturday's £50,000 John Durkan Chase at Punchestown.
Five years ago the young Buck Rogers beat another young graduate of the Tom Costello academy by the name of Imperial Call in the Irish Field Chase. Two years afterwards Imperial Call hit steeple-chasing's Everest in the Cheltenham Gold Cup while Buck Rogers resided in injury plagued anonymity.
Pin-fired, blistered and innumerable trips to Victor Bowens's equine swimming pool, Buck Rogers returned to fitness but a new generation of top class candidates had emerged in the meantime.
Four races this season convinced punters on Saturday that Buck Rogers was a 16 to 1 complete outsider of a Durkan field that included His Song and Rince Ri but the old veteran proved that class can indeed be permanent and put in a special show.
The possibilities that were maddeningly missed when this horse was in his prime can be gauged by the fact that Saturday's £32,500 first prize doubled Buck Rogers's entire career earnings in what was only his 11th start.
After losing His Song, who was subsequently found to be suffering a respiratory abnormality, at the third last Buck Rogers looked to have the weight conceding Rince Ri beaten also only for the top-weight to rally on the run-in. The feel good factor of the returning hero was vindicated, however, by three-parts of a length.
"He's a special horse but after the Irish Field win, I thought he was finished," said Bowens who received Buck Rogers from former owner Sean Mulryan. "I am just thrilled with this and if he stays sound we will have a lot of fun. He's in both the Ericsson and the Paddy Power at Leopardstown."
His Song's trainer, Mouse Morris, reported yesterday that his young star will undergo a soft palate operation today and is likely to be out of work for six weeks.
Senanjar copper-fastened his Supreme Novices' Hurdle claims with a sparkling defeat of Champagne Native in the novice hurdle.
