BALLYBURN (8/13f) was forced to battle for his fourth Grade 1 victory in the Ladbrokes Novice Chase, as he jumped the final fence upsides Croke Park (11/1). Gordon Elliott’s dual Grade 1 winner showed terrier-like qualities as he rallied, but to no avail, as the Willie Mullins-trained favourite dug deep to assert on the run-in.

Ridden out by Paul Townend, Ballyburn led by five lengths on the line, while the admirable runner-up finished five and a half lengths clear of second-favourite Impaire Et Passe (11/4) in third.

The two-mile-and-five-furlong contest marked a return to form for Ballyburn, having found two miles too sharp at Kempton last time out, when he was comprehensively beaten by the impressive Sir Gino. The market simply blamed the trip, and it seems that his trainer did, too.

“I never lost faith,” Mullins commented on Sunday. “Kempton was just a bit sharp for him and I suppose Kempton lit him up as well, so he was fairly lit today with Paul. I think he eventually got him settled and he was afraid to move on him then in case he took off again, so he didn’t do any racing until after the last and he did what he usually does – he just quickened up from the last home.

“He looks a decent horse and I loved what he did from the last to the line. Once Paul got to ask him, he flew. He’s bred to get three miles and it’s fascinating he was able to do what he did over two miles and everyone had him down as a two-miler, but looking at his page you’d have to think he wants a trip.

“I thought his jumping improved today, going that pace today over that trip it was going to be easier for him.”

Three miles is the trip of the Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase, for which Ballyburn is now 15/8 favourite, having been 2/1 favourite earlier in the day. The Ronnie Bartlett and David Manasseh-owned bay is proven over the trip, having made a winning debut in a four-year-old maiden for Colin McKeever and Wilson Dennison.

Bred by The Beeches Stud, the son of the late-great Flemensfirth has now won nine of his 11 career starts, placing in the other two.