Latest news with #CottesloeSunshine
Irish Times
01-05-2025
- Sport
- Irish Times
Teahupoo successfully defends his Stayers Hurdle title at Punchestown
It was a case of deja vu all over again at Punchestown on Thursday when Teahupoo beat Asterion Forlonge to lift the Ladbrokes Champion Stayers Hurdle. It proved to be the same one-two in the €300,000 highlight as last year with Gordon Elliott's 5-4 favourite once more proving a decisive winner from his grey rival. It was a first winner of the week for Elliott, and it completed the set of festival Grade One Stayers prizes for owner Brian Acheson. Bob Olinger proved too strong for Teahupoo at Cheltenham in the Stayers Hurdle while Hiddenvalley Lake took the honours at Aintree for Acheson's Robcour operation in the same division. READ MORE If last season was spotless for Teahupoo, this was a deserved first top-flight prize of the current campaign for Teahupoo. Filling in for the injured Jack Kennedy, Sam Ewing always looked comfortable through a race in which Rocky's Diamond cut out much of the running. Much of the field were still in contention two out but Teahupoo's quality came to the fore when it counted. 'I travelled deadly everywhere, jumped deadly and just got out at the right time and I knew he'd stay at it,' Ewing said. 'He's just a great stayer and brilliant to win on him. He's probably unlucky to be beaten twice this year but he's really stamping his authority as a top stayer.' Having once again filled the thankless role of finishing runner up to Willie Mullins in the trainer's championship, it was nevertheless an eighth Grade One victory of the current campaign for Elliott. He has had 157 winners overall in Ireland but struck only once at Cheltenham. JJ Slevin on Cottesloe Sunshine wins The Close Brothers Irish EBF Mares Novice Hurdle. Photograph: Morgan Treacy/Inpho 'I was dreaming last night if Teahupoo could win today, and Meath could win the Leinster Final, it would finish off what has been a rough season to be a great season!' Elliott commented. 'This horse has got me out of trouble a few times and he's done it again. He's a star of a horse.' Mullins reached 200 domestic winners this season in Thursday's other Grade One, the Barberstown Castle Novice Chase, when Majborough atoned for his Arkle defeat at Cheltenham by landing cramped 4-11 odds. Despite ultimately winning with authority by 14 lengths from Only By Night, Majborough again gave an impression of being a work in progress. If jumping blunders left him down at Cheltenham, this time he persistently jumped to his left. 'He has some engine. He always jumps a little bit left but it's the first time he's went that badly left going right-handed,' jockey Mark Walsh admitted. 'If you could just iron them out he has some ability, some engine.' Mullins's initial reaction was to point towards next season's Queen Mother Champion Chase with the former Triumph Hurdle winner. 'He goes a bit to his left but that's his quirk. I won't mind that, and he measures his fences and didn't make any real mistakes today. 'Mark wasn't hard on him over the last two, I thought just getting from A to B and he did that all right. Considering his age and how much he can mature over the next few years, he could be a real, top-class chaser in time. He's got such a stride and when he's long at a fence he can just take it in his stride, to me that's a huge asset; he has huge scope,' Mullins said. Earlier, Grade One-winning jockey Jody McGarvey almost had a fairy-tale finish to his career only for the well-backed Mirazur West to fade to third behind another JP McManus owned hope, Petit Tonnerre, in the Listed handicap chase. The Co Derry rider, 34, announced his retirement immediately afterwards following a career that produced 173 winners. The tally includes four Grade One successes beginning with Great Field at the 2017 Punchestown festival. McGarvey also landed the 2023 Drinmore on I Am Maximus and there was a top-flight double on the same day at Fairyhouse in 2021 through Janidil and Skyace. Cousins Joseph O'Brien and JJ Slevin combined for a double through Busselton in the La Touche and the 33/1 shot Cottesloe Sunshine in the Mares Hurdle. Slevin matched his father Shay who trained the 2017 La Touche winner Treo Eile. 'I've been watching these races for as long as I can remember and it's special to win it,' the rider said. Petit Tonnerre was the first of three cross-channel winners on the card. James Bowen warmed up for his date with Constitution Hill in Friday's feature by landing the Listed handicap hurdle on Jeriko Du Reponet. Bowen's brother, Sean, took the opener on Tony Martin's Putapoundinthejar. The horse was the last winner ridden by the late Michael O'Sullivan at Down Royal in January. The British notched a one-two in the concluding bumper. El Cairos threw away his chance by hanging badly left in the closing stages, opening the door for Alan King's Baron Noir to score. Thursday's official attendance of 20,228 was up almost 2,000 on last year's figure of 18,289.
RTÉ News
01-05-2025
- Sport
- RTÉ News
Majborough demolishes field in Novice Chase at Punchestown
Majborough bounced back from his Cheltenham Festival defeat with a facile victory in the Barberstown Castle Novice Chase at Punchestown. Last season's Triumph Hurdle hero had looked every inch a top-class chaser in the making after winning his first two starts over the larger obstacles, but a juddering error two fences from home ultimately led to him suffering a surprise reverse in the Arkle at Prestbury Park in mid-March. The Willie Mullins-trained five-year-old was sent off at 4-11 to reward those who kept the faith back on home soil and while he pulled his way to the front on the second circuit and raced keenly throughout under Mark Walsh, he stamped his class from the home turn, pulling 14 lengths clear of the Arkle runner-up Only By Night. Majborough wins the Barberstown Castle Novice Chase with a bit to spare. #rteracing 📺 Watch: @rte2 & @rteplayer 📱 Results: — RTÉ Sport (@RTEsport) May 1, 2025 Mullins, saddling his 200th winner of the season in Ireland, said "He jumped today like we know he can jump. For some reason things didn't go right for him in Cheltenham, but he's redeemed himself today. "He's a huge, big horse but he's very light framed and is an athlete every time you look at him. Looking at him in the parade ring today, there wasn't one ounce of spare flesh on him, and I couldn't have galloped him one more time. "He's only five and hopefully he'll mature this summer. I'm looking forward to what he could mature into over the next 18 months or two years. "What he did there you are looking at the Champion Chase, but he has enough pedigree to stay a trip." Cottesloe Sunshine completed on a double on the afternoon for the combo of trainer Joseph O'Brien and jockey JJ Slevin, taking the Mares Hurdle by six lenghts. Cottesloe Sunshine, with JJ Slevin on board, takes the Mares Novice Hurdle at Punchestown. #rteracing 📺 Watch: @rte2 & @rteplayer 📱 Results: — RTÉ Sport (@RTEsport) May 1, 2025 They had earlier teamed up to land the Mongey Communications La Touche Cup Cross Country Chase with 7-1 shot Busselton. "It's a special race, historic. It was really exciting for us as it was our first runner in it and even to have a horse for the banks this year was special," said O'Brien. "J J has done a great job schooling this horse and gave him a fantastic ride today. He's won under all codes and hopefully will win again." Britain's newly-crowned champion jockey Sean Bowen was at his brilliant best as he steered Putapoundinthejar to victory in the Specialist Group Handicap Hurdle. Taking to the saddle for the first time sine celebrating his title triumph with a big-race success aboard Resplendent Grey in Saturday's bet365 Gold Cup at Sandown, the 27-year-old produced another power-packed ride on Tony Martin's 17-2 shot. Battle Of Ridgeway was clear of the chasing pack on the run to the final flight, but Bowen conjured a late charge out of Putapoundinthejar, who got up to score by half a length. Bowen, who since Saturday has enjoyed his stag party in Tenerife, said: "He did well to win as he didn't jump well at all. He got into a rhythm from halfway and did well to pick up the leader. "I had a good clear run down to the last. He winged the last and picked up well from the back of it. "It's good ground and he enjoyed that. He will have learned loads today." Sean's brother James Bowen got his name on the winner's board after Jeriko Du Reponet (13-2 joint-favourite) led home a one-two for Nicky Henderson in the Conway Piling Handicap Hurdle. Doddiethegreat beat Jeriko Du Reponet in the Pertemps Final at the Cheltenham Festival and the Seven Barrows pair again came to the fore, but this time it was the latter who came out on top to give his rider a timely boost ahead of partnering Constitution Hill in Friday's Champion Hurdle. Jeriko Du Reponet storms to victory in the Conway Piling Handicap Hurdle at Punchestown. #rteracing 📺 Watch: @rte2 & @rteplayer 📱 Results: — RTÉ Sport (@RTEsport) May 1, 2025 Henderson said: "I felt sorry for one horse at Cheltenham and I now I feel sorry for the other one! There was no alternative route other than to come here and take each other on again. "You've got to be delighted with both of them – two divisions would have helped! "It all went wrong for Jeriko at the start of the season when he was meant to go chasing and we thought he was going to be the star. It all went wrong at Sandown on his first start, it was terrible and we had to come back over hurdles. "The Pertemps became the objective, he didn't quite win that but he's got his consolation and we must go back over fences next year and get the job done properly." There was further success for the raiding party in the Frontline Security Handicap Chase, with 16-1 shot Petit Tonnerre finishing with a flourish under Richie McLernon to strike gold for the father-son training partnership of Jonjo and AJ O'Neill. The latter said: "We were hitting the crossbar earlier in the week but Richie gave that lad a really lovely ride, very patient, and it was lovely to see it coming off for all the team. "JP (McManus, owner) is a massive supporter of the game and a massive supporter of ours, so it's amazing to have a winner on a day like today."
