Finian's flies home for extraordinary victory

Report: Kempton, Tuesday

Williamhill.com Desert Orchid Chase (Grade 2 ) 2m, 4yo+

LEADING Champion Chase contender Finian's Rainbow made his first start of the season a winning one with an extraordinary victory in the Desert Orchid Chase at Kempton on Tuesday.

The Nicky Henderson-trained eight-year-old, who runs in the colours of Michael Buckley, was gifted an easy lead on his first run since he won the Grade 1 John Smith's Maghull Novices' Chase at Aintree in April.

Approaching the fourth-last fence he was joined by Wishfull Thinking and Oiseau De Nuit and was easily the least fluent of the three.

The error looked to have cost him any hope of winning, with last term's Grand Annual winner Oiseau De Nuit pressing on ahead of Wishfull Thinking, who was attempting to put a couple of disappointing recent runs behind him.

That pair looked set to fight out a thrilling finish but Finian's Rainbow, the 4-11 favourite who traded at 60 in running on Betfair, charged home under an inspired Barry Geraghty to win by three-quarters of a length from 100-30 shot Wishfull Thinking.

The result completed a big-race double for Henderson and Geraghty, who teamed up to win the Wayward Lad Novices' Chase with Sprinter Sacre earlier on the card.

Paddy Power and William Hill shaved a point off Finian's Rainbow's Sportingbet.com Queen Mother Champion Chase odds to 7-1 and he will likely test his Cheltenham credentials in the Grade 1 Victor Chandler Chase at Ascot on January 21.

"He was doodling along when all of a sudden the other two [Wishfull Thinking and Oiseau De Nuit] rushed up on him and he made a mistake," said Henderson.

"He did bloody well to come back. He'll come on plenty and we wanted to try and get a run into him before the Victor Chandler Chase."