In a stunning turn of events at Leopardstown, the seven-year-old gelding Affordale Fury produced a career-best performance to claim a famous victory in the Grade One Savills Chase on Sunday, seeing off the challenge of two recent Cheltenham Gold Cup winners.
A Triumph Over Adversity
Ridden by jockey Sam Ewing and trained by Noel Meade, Affordale Fury defied his outsider status and an injury-plagued career to secure a breakthrough win at the highest level. The horse, who had been sidelined by lengthy breaks of 438 and 241 days, was having only his fifth chase start outside of novice company. Setting a strong gallop from the off, he displayed tremendous resilience despite a tendency to jump to his right throughout the three-mile contest.
The race featured a star-studded field of eleven, headlined by Galopin Des Champs, the dual Cheltenham Gold Cup winner (2023 & 2024) and a five-time Grade One winner over the Leopardstown track. Also in contention was I Am Maximus, the reigning Grand National champion. As the race reached its climax, Galopin Des Champs seemed to take command at the second-last fence, but his characteristic finishing kick failed to materialise.
Dramatic Finish Seals Shock Result
After a final sharp jump to the right at the last obstacle, Affordale Fury found a renewed surge of energy. He stayed on powerfully up the run-in to beat I Am Maximus by two and a half lengths, with the fading Galopin Des Champs crossing the line in third. The 2025 Gold Cup winner, Inothewayurthinkin, finished a disappointing last of the nine finishers after drifting to a starting price of 13-2.
An emotional Noel Meade, who last won the Irish trainers' championship in the 2006-07 season, revealed his long-held belief in the horse. "When this fella was second in the Albert Bartlett, we were really looking forward to him as a chaser," Meade said. "He won his novice chase and then things went wrong on us... He worked the other day and worked the sight out of your eyes, he was unbelievable."
Ripple Effects on the Gold Cup Market
The seismic result has blown the market for the 2025 Cheltenham Gold Cup wide open. Bookmakers immediately slashed Affordale Fury's price to around 12-1 for the blue riband event in March. The previously dominant contenders, Inothewayurthinkin and Galopin Des Champs, are now top-priced at only 6-1 and 7-1 respectively, indicating a much more open contest.
The victory also highlighted a successful weekend for trainer Willie Mullins, whose star novice Final Demand cemented his status as a leading festival contender with an effortless eight-length win in the Faugheen Novice Chase at Limerick. He is now as short as even-money for the Brown Advisory Novice Chase at Cheltenham.
For Affordable Fury and connections, the Savills Chase win marks a spectacular return from the brink, proving that patience and perseverance in National Hunt racing can yield the most dramatic and rewarding results.
