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• El Fabiolo enjoys comfortable Hilly Way success

  El Fabiolo kicked off the new campaign as he finished the last with a predictably dominant display in the Bar One Racing Hilly Way Chase at Cork.

  The Willie Mullins-trained six-year-old was flawless as a novice over fences last season, winning each of his four starts, including a brilliant triumph over Jonbon in the Arkle at Cheltenham.

  With Jonbon having advertised his Queen Mother Champion Chase claims with victory in the Tingle Creek at Sandown on Saturday, it was over to El Fabiolo 24 hours later and he did not disappoint.

  Mullins had saddled nine of the last 10 winners of the Hilly Way, with Un De Sceaux, Chacun Pour Soi and the currently sidelined dual Champion Chase hero Energumene among those on the roll of honour.

  El Fabiolo was a 1-5 shot to add his name to the list and after travelling well on the heels of the pacesetters for much of the extended two-mile contest, Paul Townend allowed him to take over before four fences from the finish and he quickly took control.

  Fil Dor did his best to keep tabs on the leader in the home straight, but despite a peck on landing after jumping the final obstacle, El Fabiolo never looked like coming to grief and was driven out on the run-in to prevail by four and three-quarter lengths.

  Paddy Power left the winner unchanged at 10-11 for the Champion Chase at Cheltenham in March, with old rival Jonbon rated his biggest threat at 5-2.

• Silent Approach causes big upset at Cork

  Silent Approach provided her trainer, owner and breeder Con O’Keeffe with the biggest success of his career as she registered a shock victory in the O’Flynn Group Irish EBF Mares Novice Chase at Cork.

  Although a winner on her chasing debut at Galway last month, the five-year-old faced a huge rise in class for this Grade Two contest and was priced up accordingly at 33-1.

  For much of the extended two-mile contest, things appeared to be going to script, with 6-5 favourite Harmonya Maker setting out to make all the running and provide jockey Jack Kennedy with a fourth successive victory on the card.

  However, she hung left approaching the first fence on the second circuit and halfway down the back straight Silent Approach was given her head and allowed to stride on in front by Danny Mullins.

  To her credit, Harmonya Maker managed to stay in the fight until the approach to the final fence, after which Silent Approach stamped her authority and pulled three and a quarter lengths clear.

  “It is a great win and I must dedicate it to my wife Claire, who lost her mother Peggy last week. She was always the first one to ring me after we won a race, so this is great for Claire and my family,” said O’Keeffe.

  “We have been jumping hurdles all year, but the lads have been saying to jump fences and she is a fantastic jumper who is improving all the time. We were hopeful, as she was in great form and Danny gave her a fantastic ride.

  “We have had the family for three generations and you could write what I know about training horses on a postage stamp, as breeding is our game. I’m delighted for Tadhg (O’Sullivan, co-owner), who has been with me with our horses from the beginning.”

• Not So Sleepy fighting fit after Sandown heroics

  Fighting Fifth hero Not So Sleepy could head straight to the Champion Hurdle after trainer Hughie Morrison ruled out a Christmas clash with Constitution Hill.

  While testing conditions led to the withdrawal of National Hunt racing’s headline act, as well as his stablemate Shishkin, nothing should be taken away from Morrison’s durable veteran, who was winning the Grade One contest for a second time, having dead-heated with Epatante two years ago.

  The 11-year-old proved himself as good as ever in accounting for a pair of Cheltenham Festival-winning mares in Love Envoi and You Wear It Well, and is reported to have taken his exertions in his stride.

  “To be honest, he’s taken it so well I’m embarrassed,” Morrison said on Sunday morning.

  “He really has taken it well, I don’t think he had a hard race yesterday.

  “I think the critical thing is he’s as good as anything on heavy ground, or very soft. If you take a proper line on the form book, he’s run to over 160, which is extraordinary for an 11-year-old.

  “Obviously some people won’t take that as read, but if you take a line through You Wear It Well, who had form on the ground and everything else, I have no doubt we’d have frightened Constitution Hill.”

  Nicky Henderson’s superstar will now make his belated seasonal debut in the Christmas Hurdle at Kempton on Boxing Day, but Not So Sleepy will not be among his rivals.

  Morrison added: “He hates Kempton. I took him there in February for a gallop with Quickthorn before he went to Dubai and while he didn’t mind going left-handed, when I sent him right-handed he pulled himself up, so he won’t go anywhere near Kempton.

  “We’ll keep all options open on the basis we could put him in the Champion Hurdle and one day it might be heavy, as long as he trains well.

  “He was fifth in the Champion Hurdle last season when I didn’t feel I had him there as well I would have liked him, but as we saw when he won on the Flat at Newbury (in September) and again yesterday, he’s back to his best if not better.”

  With Not So Sleepy clearly still loving the game, thoughts of retirement are not on Morrison’s mind.

  “We’re always very mindful of it, we have been for the last four years,” he said.

  “Three weeks ago he schooled the best he’s ever schooled. Having not seen anything since the Champion Hurdle, he went over some mini fences and really attacked them.

  “He loves running fresh. He didn’t hardly blow at all yesterday – considering he’d run and won on that ground, he had an abnormally light blow.

  “If we went for the Champion Hurdle, he wouldn’t have another run, and then later on next year you might think of giving him one run in September somewhere and going for a third Fighting Fifth again at Newcastle, or wherever it is.”