Paisley Park is prince of the pack

The popular son of Oscar shows his stamina as he refuses to be beaten, and the Dan Skelton-trained My Drogo shows potential to be up there with the best

- MARCUS ARMYTAGE

Ascot, Berks

RACING just about saved the best until last at the end of a wretched 2020 when Paisley Park, five lengths down at the second last and seemingly going nowhere, rallied in the final strides to beat Thyme Hill by a neck in the Porsche Long Walk Hurdle at Ascot on Saturday.

Porsche is not a totally apt fit for staying hurdlers because they are more about stamina than speed, and never was that more evident on Saturday as Paisley Park’s staying power really kicked in – but only after the last when Thyme Hill, the new kid on the block in the division, looked to have done enough. It could be the first of many epic battles between the two.

Paisley Park might have been the dominant force among staying hurdlers like Inglis Drever, Big Buck’s and Baracouda before him, but the defence of his Cheltenham title was scuppered in March by an irregular heartbeat. There was not much wrong with his heart on Saturday, though.

“It’s never over with him,” said his trainer Emma Lavelle. “He’s amazing. You could see him gaining and gaining and I was looking at the line and hoping. You just never give up with Paisley.

“I feel sorry for the connections of the other horses – I was shouting like a mad woman. He’s an extraordinary horse and we’re lucky to have him. He’s come on from Newbury and we came here a bit more confident. I’m just very proud of him. He’s eight, rising nine, and a serious tank of a horse now so we’ll look at the Cleeve Hurdle next.