PRL Champion Novice Hurdle
Grade 1, Punchestown 16:15 €125,000 guaranteed 5yo plus 2m 100y, Class 1
Tweet Tuesday 28th April 2026

1 Eachtotheirown 16/1
2 Blake 17/2
3 Le Labo 9/1
8 ran NR: Sober Distances: 4¼l, 2¾l, 1½l
Time: 4m 9.00s (slow by 10.80s)

The locally-trained Eachtotheirown lands our opening Grade 1 contest of the week, the €125,000 PRL Champion Novice Hurdle, for San Flanagan and Barry Connell 👏 pic.twitter.com/XheeMFBgHX

— Punchestown (@punchestownrace) April 28, 2026

Eachtotheirown produced a bold, front-running display on the opening day of the Punchestown Festival, making every yard under a positive ride from Sean Flanagan.

Sent straight to the head of affairs, the 16/1 chance was never headed, dictating the tempo throughout and steadily turning the contest into a test of stamina and resolution.

Turning for home, El Cairos briefly loomed as a danger when launching his challenge two flights from the finish, but he was unable to match the leader’s relentless gallop and quickly faded from contention.

From there, Eachtotheirown asserted with authority, seeing off the late efforts of Blake and Le Labo on the run-in to score by four and a quarter lengths, with Blake staying on best of the remainder. El Cairos faded into fourth.

The performance marked a significant turnaround from his effort in the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle, where he had finished well down the field, prompting a change in tactics from trainer Barry Connell.

Connell said: “He was rank the last day so the obvious thing to do was to leave him off in front today and he got a freebie. That is a good horse, he’s only had a handful of runs over hurdles but he is a chaser and we’ve had to wait for him as he is a big stamp of a horse.

“He was like a chaser jumping his hurdles today and has a fair engine.”

In the immediate aftermath, Paddy Power introduced the winner at 40/1 for the Arkle, with Connell outlining a clear plan for the future.

“The Arkle Chase is to the forefront of my mind for him next season as he is an out-and-out two-miler who doesn’t like being restrained. He has been a slow burner and they went no gallop in the Supreme the last day, and to be fair to Sean, he left him to coast home and he came here a fresh horse.

“Next season he will come back for a beginners’ chase before the ground gets bottomless and then go to Leopardstown twice before Cheltenham.”

Champion Novice Hurdle
€125,000 guaranteed, 5yo plus, 2m 100y, Class 1
8 ran
Going: Yielding, Good to Yielding in places

Past Results: