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Irish National Hunt Festival 2009 |
All the News from Day 3 at Punchestown
30/04/09
SO EASY FOR FIVEFORTHREE
The unstoppable combination of trainer Willie Mullins and jockey Ruby Walsh landed today’s feature Ladbrokes.com World Series Hurdle when Fiveforthree came home seven lengths clear of Pettifour.
The 5/4 favourite brought a sixth success in 18 races so far at the 2009 Punchestown Festival for the trainer and rider.
"The horse just did what I hoped he would today," said Mullins. "He has lots of gears, the trip was no problem and I look forward to sending him chasing next season. This was only his fifth run over hurdles and he still could be anything. I think he’ll go for the French Champion Hurdle in mid June before he has a break.
"This time last year I didn’t think he’d grow to be the size of horse he is and that growth spurt may have been a lot of the problem. He is bred to be a chaser but when I bought him I didn’t think he was going to be big enough to go over fences.
"I think he might have improved since he ran at Aintree. I said to Ruby to wait and wait with him today because I think he might have gone a bit too soon at Aintree. We just said that we would sit and wait - there was going to be plenty of pace - and he had enough gears when push came to shove. He loves that ground.
"The horses have just generally stayed so healthy all season and it’s very rare not to have had any sick horses."
BARKER MAKES IT SEVEN FOR MULLINS
Win number seven for trainer Willie Mullins at the 2009 Punchestown Festival came in the Grade 1 Cathal Ryan Memorial Swordlestown Cup Novice Chase, this time with David Casey in the saddle, when 11/2 chance Barker defeated the 5/4 favourite Forpadydeplasterer by 15 lengths.
"I just wondered if the step back to two miles might have been a bit sharp for him but he is a spectacular jumper and he jumped for fun from fence to fence," said Mullins. "I had thought after Fairyhouse that we should go up to three miles so we were taking a chance running over two. He keeps improving so anything is possible next season."
Reflecting on a remarkable season, he continued: "We haven’t expanded the stable in the past couple of year when we have had the opportunity and not built any new boxes. So we’ve just got a very good team together at home, I can leave them to get on with it when I go racing. We are also very attentive towards anything that looks like it might be getting a cough or cold."
Barker’s owner Eamon Duignan added: "It’s unbelievable. I’m thrilled. As I said when he won the Pierse Hurdle last January, I am very lucky to have a horse like this. We were hoping we would have a true run race, which we did, as he stays, has a bit of speed and jumps brilliantly. He’s actually better on good ground. He won the Pierse on heavy ground and again today, but he actually prefers good ground."
Forpadydeplasterer’s rider Barry Geraghty said: "He was never really going as well as he would normally. It was just that the ground was far too soft for him. He was lucky to get good ground at Cheltenham - that’s the only day he has got it and he won his big pot there.
"He was never really going today. He didn’t jump the first two well and then got jumping well down the back but it was all a bit of a struggle.
"I had a chance going to the second last but he just caught the top. My horse is a different horse on better ground."
Davy Russell steered the Robert Tyner-trained Square Sphere to victory in the Naas Court Hotel Handicap Hurdle.
Russell said: "She battled well and is such a tough, little mare. She only had 10st 10lb on her back, which is a light weight, and she is a winter mare who loves heavy ground. She took off after jumping the last and rallied all of the way to line. She only got on top in the last 50 yards and ground it out well."
There was no stopping Mullins in the concluding Orbis INH Flat race when Quel Esprit, ridden by his son Patrick, came home four lengths clear of stablemate Skorcher to record an 8/11 success and give the trainer his eighth success of the festival.
GARDE PRODUCES FAMILIAR RESULT
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Trainer Enda Bolger’s amazing run of success in the Avon Ri Corporate & Leisure Resort Cross Country Chase for the La Touche Cup came to an end 12 months ago but it was business as normal this year.
Bolger had won 10 successive runnings of the famous banks contest up to 2007 before losing out last year but he returned to winning ways when the 13/8 favourite Garde Champetre landed today’s race under Nina Carberry, beating 2007 Grand National winner Silver Birch.
"Every time you want to win this race but the monkey’s off my back now," said Bolger. "I thought about three out that we might be in trouble but his class came into play and Silver Birch has run a cracker.
"I knew the ground wouldn’t totally suit him and Nina said she probably got there a bit soon. He’s won here before but not a La Touche, that’s the one we were after."
Garde Champetre is owned by J P McManus, who was watching from his Martinstown home in Co Limerick as he recovers from prostrate cancer.
Bolger added: "This is a great lift for everyone, J P’s been my biggest supporter and I’m sure the party will be on at Martinstown tonight."
Carberry added: "The horse likes to fill his lungs, which he didn’t get a chance to do in the Grand National, but this course just suits him perfectly. He jumped the last few very well and finished well.
"We have a great partnership and I’m very grateful to J P and Enda for letting me ride him. Cheltenham is great but I wouldn’t swop this and hopefully it will make J P smile."
A vintage week for trainer Willie Mullins and jockey Ruby Walsh continued when they made it five wins apiece after Jessies Dream justified 2/1 favouritism in the opening AON Insurances Hurdle.
"He’s improving all the time and Ruby had him nicely settled," said Mullins. "They went a fast gallop which suited him and I’d imagine he’ll go novice chasing next season. But we’ll try and find another hurdle for him in the next month before putting him away."
Walsh added: "He's not the biggest horse in the world but they went a really good gallop. He's quite free and he settled well. I missed the last but he pulled out plenty so that I could last home to win well in the end. The ground is soft, the same as it was yesterday."
Blueberry Boy, who had not run since being pulled up in a point-to-point on November 29, came home four lengths clear of his rivals in the Irish Sun Handicap Chase to score for trainer Paul Stafford.
"The horse just wasn’t right last season and I don’t know why and we planned to go point-to-pointing with him but found he didn’t stay three miles," said Stafford, who recently moved into a new stable at Bellewstown. "We had no choice but to come here even though he seemed high in the weights. He came here fresh and does go well fresh but I’ve not thought about what we’ll do with him now.
"I was anxious about the ground but (jockey) Conor (Maxwell), who knows this horse of old, said he gave him a very good feel. We’ve only got about half a dozen in but the new yard has made a big difference, we have excellent facilities."
CROWD
Today’s attendance was 16,193, compared to 17,240 on the same day 12 months ago.
