Allaho made toast of the opposition in the Horse & Jockey Hotel Chase at Thurles with a smoking performance under Paul Townend.

Starting the 4-11 favourite for the Grade 2 race after his John Durkan Memorial win in December, Willie Mullins' gelding showed his class by crossing the line 12-lengths ahead of Joseph O'Brien's Fakir D'oudairies.

Already at strong fancy for the defence of his Ryanair Chase title at the Cheltenham Festival, the victory galvanised that position and the eight-year-old is now 11/10 for Cheltenham glory with Planet Sport Bet.

"It took a good while for him to get warmed up and he was sticky over the first few fences, where I thought he might have needed some company," Mullins said.
"He didn't jump really well until the fourth or fifth fence, but flew the last and Paul said he was flying at the finish.
"He is a big horse - we've had some huge horses over the years; Douvan, Monkfish and him.
"Some of those big horses can't adjust at fences, but he can and danced in front of a couple of fences and does it very easily.
"If he's not right, he isn't afraid of taking a few quick steps to get out over them."
He added: "We were very happy with him at home and that is it until the Ryanair - more than likely that is the race for him."