Klairon Davis

Three weeks later he made his debut over obstacles in a novice hurdle race at Naas Racecourse and won by twelve lengths when ridden by the professional jockey Tom Taaffe, who was riding in his final season.

Ridden for the first time by Tom Horgan, Klairon Davis was restrained in the early stages before taking the lead approaching the last fence and defeated Sound Man by a length and a half.

[10] Three weeks later Klairon Davis was stepped up in class again and for the Group 1 Champion Novice Hurdle at Punchestown and started 7/4 favourite ahead of Winter Belle, Sound Man and Monalee River.

His seven-race winning sequence came to an end on 27 October his debut over fences when he fell in a race at Tipperary Racecourse won by the Aidan O'Brien-trained seven-year-old Idiot's Venture.

Francis "Frannie" Woods took over the ride at Navan eleven days later and Klairon Davis recorded his first chase win, beating Calmos by three lengths at odds of 8/11.

On his final appearance of 1995, Klairon Davis faced Idiot's Delight, Sound Man and Winter Belle in the Group 1 Dennys Gold Medal Chase over two miles one furlong at Leopardstown Racecourse on 26 December.

Klairon Davis stayed on strongly on the run-in to take the lead in the final strides and won by a head and a length from Winter Belle and Sound Man.

[12] In the Arkle Novice Chase at Fairyhouse on 29 January, Klairon Davis won again, beating Winter Belle by ten lengths with the favourite Idiot's Delight being pulled up injured three fences out.

After racing in third for most of the way, Klairon Davis, the 6/4 favourite, made a forward move approaching the last, but could make no further progress on the run-in and finished third behind Strong Platinum and Sound Man.

Three weeks after his defeat at Punchestown, the gelding was sent to France to contest a hurdle race over 4100 metres at Auteuil Hippodrome, but ran last of the four finishers behind the locally trained Poplife.

[14] Commenting on the possibility of a clash with the reigning two-mile champion chaser Viking Flagship, Moore said "Klairon Davis did that well, but he will be having a light programme because there are not many suitable races over this trip in this country.

[15] The gelding was then tried over longer distances and failed to complete the course in his next two races, falling at the fifth in the John Durkan Memorial Punchestown Chase on 25 November and unseating Woods at the fourth at Leopardstown on 13 January.

Francis Woods, however, moved Klairon Davis steadily forward on the outside and jumped past the two leaders at the final fence before drawing away to win by five lengths.

[19] The gelding was again tried over longer distances in the Melling Chase at Aintree Racecourse sixteen days later, but after pulling hard in the early stages he finished last of the four runners behind Viking Flagship, Sound Man and Coulton, beaten more than twenty lengths by the winner.

[20] On his first appearance of the 1996/1997 season Klairon Davis was beaten half a length by Fiftysevenchannels in a handicap chase at Leopardstown on 10 November when he conceded twenty-one pounds to the winner.

Klairon Davis returned to winning form in handicap chase at Navan in February, beating Idiot's Venture by eight lengths, conceding 21 pounds to the runner-up.

[21] On 12 March 1997, Klairon Davis attempted to repeat his 1996 success in the Queen Mother Champion Chase at Cheltenham and started as the 3/1 joint-second favourite behind the improving six-year-old Strong Promise and alongside Viking Flagship.

Racing on firmer ground than in the previous year he was held up in the early staged but appeared outpaced on the final turn and finished fourth of the six runners behind Martha's Son, Ask Tom and Viking Flagship.

On his final appearance of the sea on the season, Klairon Davis returned to Ireland for the BMW Chase at Punchestown on 22 April and started 11/10 favourite despite conceding seventeen pounds to his six opponents who included Idiot's Delight, Opera Hat and the British challenger Arctic Kinsman and Big Matt.

After being challenged in the early stages by Opera Hat he took the lead and jumped well before drawing away over the last two fences to win the race for the second time, beating Big Matt by eight lengths with Idiot's Venture in third.

Although Mr Baxter Basics dropped away after a bad mistake at the third last Papillon maintained his challenge but Klairon Davis prevailed by a length to record his twentieth and final career victory.