Cheltenham reportQueen Mother Champion Chase hero Voy Por Ustedes warmed up for loftier targets later in the season when narrowly failing to give lumps of weight away in the paddypower.com Handicap Chase at Cheltenham.
Alan King was using the two-mile event as a stepping stone to Sandown next month but attempting to give almost two stone to all but one of his four rivals proved too much - but only just.
The 8 to 11 favourite took the lead over the water jump on the far side of the course and proceeded to put in some magnificent leaps under Robert Thornton.
Despite his welter burden, he was seemingly well in control turning for home only for Kalca Mome (9-4) to start to rapidly eat into his lead.
Philip Hobbs' representative finished with a full head of steam to collar Voy Por Ustedes in the shadow of the post for a neck victory.
King said: "I said all along that it wouldn't be the end of the world if he got beat. Well he has got beat and he has come out of it with a hell of a lot of credit."
The Paddy Power Tingle Creek on December 8th is next on the agenda, with bookmakers generally leaving him unchanged at the head of the market for a repeat success in the Queen Mother.
King continued: "Just as he went to the last I thought 'he is going to get mugged here', but with the weight he was carrying on this ground on his first run back it is a great run."
Sizing Europe ignored the quite atrocious conditions to give Henry de Bromhead his finest training moment in the Greatwood Handicap Hurdle.
Denied a probable victory at Punchestown last month when falling at the second-last jockey Timmy Murphy had the promising five-year-old at the front from four out, switching to the near rail turning for home, and although he hung across the track in the closing stage and was headed by brave top-weight Osana, Sizing Europe pulled a convincing four lengths away at the post.
Meanwhile, Ruby Walsh is to be assessed by his own surgeon today after dislocating his shoulder at Cheltenham on Saturday. Walsh sustained the injury in a crashing fall aboard the ill-fated Willyanwoody in the Club 16-24 Novices' Chase.
He was taken to Cheltenham General Hospital, where he had his shoulder put back into place.
"Ruby's not too bad. His shoulder was put back in yesterday and he got X-rayed in Cheltenham General Hospital last night," said his sister and agent, Jennifer Walsh.
"He's going to see his own orthopaedic man tomorrow, who does everything for him. Ruby's getting him to look at the X-rays just for his opinion.
"We're none the wiser yet as to how long he'll be out of action."
