AN ACT OF GORD!

Conflated answers Elliott's prayers

- DAVID YATES

CONFLATED upstaged the big names for a shock Paddy Power Irish Gold Cup triumph - and is now as short as 7-1 for the Cheltenham Gold Cup next month.

Gordon Elliott felt the frustration of a trio of near-misses as Willie Mullins captured the first three Grade 1 races of the two-day Dublin Racing Festival at Leopardstown.

The odds of consolation via a Michael O'Learyowned duo in the feature looked slim - 12-1 chance Delta Work hadn't won since his victory in the race two years ago, and 18-1 shot Conflated was the only one of the eight runners never to have won a Grade 1 race.