Latest news with #KopekDesBordes
Irish Examiner
30-04-2025
- Sport
- Irish Examiner
Ruby Walsh: Galopin Des Champs best horse in the Punchestown Gold Cup but Banbridge must be respected
Tuesday afternoon started in glorious Kildare sunshine; suncream and sunglasses were necessary. Punchestown's drive to attract British runners got the injection it needed when the raiders collected two of the first three races before six faced the starter for the first Grade One, and all were Irish. In typical Punchestown fashion, nobody seemed to be following the script, and while Willie Mullins landed both opening Grade Ones, it came with his third and fourth strings. Mark Walsh and Danny Mullins didn't seem to notice that most of the punters here wanted Kopek Des Bordes and Ballyburn to win, but two fine rides on 18/1 and 22/1 shots landed them the spoils before the big showdown kicked off at 6pm. This is exclusive subscriber content. Already a subscriber? Sign in Subscribe to access all of the Irish Examiner. Annual €120€60 Best value Monthly €10€4 / month Unlimited access. Subscriber content. Daily ePaper. Additional benefits.
Irish Examiner
29-04-2025
- Sport
- Irish Examiner
Punchestown predictably unpredictable but Willie Mullins still in ascendancy
It's Punchestown, it's end-of-season, it's expectedly unpredictable, and the opening day of the 2025 meeting was certainly all of that, as the track welcomed 17,842 patrons. A 22-1 winner was followed by one at 50-1, then there was a little levity when an 8-1 shot prevailed, before two of the three Grade Ones returned huge upsets at odds of 18-1 and 22-1. What was much more predictable was that, despite those odds, Willie Mullins was in the ascendancy, winning two Grade Ones, and adding the valuable Goffs Defender Bumper to complete a 7,428-1 treble. The KPMG Champion Novice Hurdle was the first Grade One of the meeting, and 18-1 shot Irancy continued on his upward trajectory courtesy of a patient ride by Mark Walsh. Salvator Mundi went off quickly, with the short-priced, leftward-tending and poor-jumping Kopek Des Bordes his nearest pursuer for much of the trip. At one point they must have had 20 lengths and more to spare over the other quartet. As those early exertions began to tell on the first two, a couple of the other runners closed in, and it was Irancy, a winner at Fairyhouse's Easter festival, who moved best of all. Walsh allowed him to ease to the front coming off the last bend, and when he asked for more at the back of the last, he stretched away to win by a wide margin from the game Salvator Mundi. Karbau took third ahead of an eased-up Kopek Des Bordes, who completed a Mullins 1-2-3-4 in a race which he has farmed, having won seven of the last eight, and nine of the last 11 runnings of the race. 'Irancy has always been a good horse and met with a setback after winning here earlier in the season, but it might have been the best thing to have happened as he came here fresh,' said Mullins. 'I gave Kopek Des Bordes a nice break after Cheltenham and probably gave him too much and should have brought him to somewhere like Ayr or Perth. Looking at him in the parade ring, I thought he was carrying too much condition and that showed.' Mullins saddled five of the eight runners in the Grade One Dooley Insurance Group Champion Novice Chase and while two of the quintet fell and another was brought down, he was still responsible for the first two home. Ballyburn looked to have been gifted every opportunity as the field became depleted, but Danny Mullins spoiled the party as he brought 22-1 chance Champ Kiely through to lead after two out before pushing him clear for a facile success. 'Unbelievable,' said Danny Mullins. 'I'm just so lucky to be part of the team in Willie's. I'm just blessed to be on the team and get to ride some of the good ones on these days. 'This horse never really attacked when the loose horse upset him in Fairyhouse last week but, in fairness to Willie, he wasn't afraid to come back here. He knew the variable was stepping up five furlongs in trip and there was every chance he'd go and do that. 'I knew Paul was the horse to beat. The Gigginstown one was going to play a part, but we got the better of him off the bend and, yeah, he is a good horse to put it to bed nicely.' Mullins saddled four in the Goffs Defender Bumper and, in keeping with the theme of the day, it was the outsider of the quartet, the Ruth Duffield-ridden Wonderful Everyday, who fared best, seeing off the promising Green Hint. The Kildare Hunt Club Cross-Country Chase for the Ladies' Perpetual Cup is part of the tradition of this festival and this year's renewal provided a memorable moment for Richie O'Keeffe, who saddled the first two home. Victory went to Transprint, who gave jockey Tony Doyle his first winner on the track. Fifty-to-one chance Buy Some Time upset the gamble on fellow British raider Almuhit in the Albert Bartlett Triple Crown Series Final Handicap Hurdle. There were five runners within a length as they raced over the last, but it was Scottish raider Buy Some Time, ridden by Ben Smith and trained by his father, Mike, who quickened up best to land the spoils. Said the winning trainer: 'They all tell you that you can't beat the Irish and Willie comes over and beats us all, but it doesn't always happen that way. You have to be brave to take the risk and throw the darts!' There was further British success when the Harry Derham-trained Ascending Lark took the listed Killashee Hotel Handicap Hurdle, but there was some Cork success as the winning rider, Paul O'Brien, hails from Mitchelstown. The winner has been on a remarkable run since joining Derham early in 2024. From Haydock to Huntingdon, and Newcastle, Exeter and Ludlow, she came here unbeaten in five runs for the yard and benefited from a beautifully judged ride by O'Brien to extend that run to six. Derek O'Connor trained Bud Fox when he won a point to point, and he was in the saddle when the horse made a winning track debut in the Willie Coonan Memorial Bumper. Now trained by Gavin Cromwell, the son of Walk In The Park and Flaviana was in prime position throughout and justified considerable market confidence by quickening up late on to readily put the day's finale to bed.
The 42
29-04-2025
- Sport
- The 42
Irancy shocks Kopek Des Bordes for more Willie Mullins glory at Punchestown
KOPEK DES BORDES surrendered his unbeaten record as stablemate Irancy led home a one-two-three-four for Willie Mullins in the KPMG Champion Novice Hurdle at Punchestown. Kopek Des Bordes looked a star in the making after following up successive victories Leopardstown with an odds-on success in the Supreme Novices' Hurdle at Cheltenham last month and he was a 30-100 market leader to round off a perfect season with another win in County Kildare. However, a couple of sketchy leaps during the early stages set the tone for a disappointing display and he was a spent force turning for home. Advertisement Having been ridden more conservatively, 18-1 shot Irancy arrived on the scene travelling strongly under Mark Walsh and powered clear from the final flight to score by nine lengths, with the front-running Salvator Mundi boxing on to beat Karbau to third and Kopek Des Bordes a well-beaten fourth. Mark Walsh and Irancy hand the Champion Trainer @WillieMullinsNH another winner at the top level, this time in the Grade 1 @KPMG Champion Novice Hurdle - his gelding flying home after travelling sweetly just off the pace 👏 — Punchestown (@punchestownrace) April 29, 2025 Mullins said: 'We took all the gear off Salvator Mundi today and it worked as far as his jumping was concerned, but he just got running too fast and they couldn't keep that up. Paul, knowing how good Salvator Mundi is, couldn't let him go. 'Irancy has always been a good horse and met with a setback after winning here earlier in the season, but it might have been the best thing to have happened as he came here fresh. 'I gave Kopek Des Bordes a nice break after Cheltenham and probably gave him too much and should have brought him to somewhere like Ayr or Perth! 'Looking at him in the parade ring, I thought he was carrying too much condition and that showed at today's pace.'
RTÉ News
29-04-2025
- Sport
- RTÉ News
Irancy foils Kopek Des Bordes for shock Punchestown win
Kopek Des Bordes' surrendered his unbeaten record as stablemate Irancy led home a one-two-three-four for Willie Mullins in the KPMG Champion Novice Hurdle at Punchestown. Kopek Des Bordes looked a star in the making after following up successive victories Leopardstown with an odds-on success in the Supreme Novices' Hurdle at Cheltenham last month and he was a 30-100 market leader to round off a perfect season with another win in Kildare. However, a couple of sketchy leaps during the early stages set the tone for a disappointing display and he was a spent force turning for home. Having been ridden more conservatively, 18-1 shot Irancy arrived on the scene travelling strongly under Mark Walsh and powered clear from the final flight to score by nine lengths, with the front-running Salvator Mundi boxing on to beat Karbau to third and Kopek Des Bordes a well-beaten fourth. Irancy shocks Cheltenham winner and KPMG Champion Novice Hurdle favourite Kopek Des Bordes to win at Punchestown. #rteracing 📺 Watch: @rte2 & @rteplayer 📱 Results: — RTÉ Sport (@RTEsport) April 29, 2025 Mullins said: "We took all the gear off Salvator Mundi today and it worked as far as his jumping was concerned, but he just got running too fast and they couldn't keep that up. Paul, knowing how good Salvator Mundi is, couldn't let him go. Willie Mullins trained four of six in the feature and offers his thoughts on how things went as Irancy beat the favourites. #rteracing 📺 Watch: @rte2 & @rteplayer 📱 Results: — RTÉ Sport (@RTEsport) April 29, 2025 "Irancy has always been a good horse and met with a setback after winning here earlier in the season, but it might have been the best thing to have happened as he came here fresh. "I gave Kopek Des Bordes a nice break after Cheltenham and probably gave him too much and should have brought him to somewhere like Ayr or Perth! "Looking at him in the parade ring, I thought he was carrying too much condition and that showed at today's pace." Mark Walsh speaks to RTE Sport after upsetting the odds at Punchestown, guiding Irancy to victory. #rteracing 📺 Watch: @rte2 & @rteplayer 📱 Results: — RTÉ Sport (@RTEsport) April 29, 2025 Watch the Punchestown Festival from Tuesday to Saturday with RTÉ Sport. Coverage begins at 3.30pm for first three days and on Friday at 4pm on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player. Watch on Saturday from 3pm on RTÉ One and RTÉ Player.
Extra.ie
29-04-2025
- Sport
- Extra.ie
Jane Mangan: Back Ballyburn to bounce back at Punchestown
At this week's Punchestown Festival, there will be 12 Grade One races run. Over the past three years here, of the 36 Grade One prizes up for grabs, Willie Mullins won 26 of the 36 – expect more of the same this year. Tuesday's opening card of what should be a great and enjoyable week also boasts plenty of overseas runners, which is exactly what Punchestown would have wanted. There are 10 in the second race, for example, 16 in total from the UK on the day one card, which is a great result for Punchestown, who do a lot of work recruiting competition from overseas. The Punchestown Festival gets underway on Tuesday. Pic: Michael Chester It's great to see – we have good prize money and it's the end of the year, so there's nothing to lose for the raiders. With Rebecca Curtis having won the Irish National it shows that you can come here and win – we're not unstoppable at home. Where to begin? Let's start with the Dooley Insurance Group Champion Novice Chase (4.50), over three miles, one furlong, won last year by Spillane's Tower. This time around, Mullins is mob-handed. He has five of the nine declared runners and Paul Townend has opted to stay loyal to Ballyburn. Paul Townend on Ballyburn jumps the water during The Brown Advisory Novices' Steeple Chase at Cheltenham. Pic: David Fitzgerald/Sportsfile Despite how disappointing he was when being beaten by his stablemate Lecky Watson in the Brown Advisory at the Cheltenham Festival, I believe they will change tactics this time around. He didn't enjoy being restrained at Cheltenham, he jumped poorly, and I think under positive tactics, riding him forward, we could see a different beast here on Tuesday. The horse that wowed us at Leopardstown and impressed so much last year over hurdles, Ballyburn, is better than we saw at Cheltenham and he's going to prove it at Punchestown on Tuesday. Another highlight of the day is the race which precedes that, the two-mile KPMG Champion Novice Hurdle at 4.15. Willie Mullins' Supreme Novices' winner Kopek Des Bordes meets his Grade One Aintree winner Salvator Mundi. They clashed at Cheltenham in the Supreme when Salvator Mundi was beaten in to fifth. Paul Towned on Kopek Des Bordes in the Supreme Novices' Hurdle at Cheltenham. Pic: David Fitzgerald/Sportsfile I think Kopek Des Bordes is the best novice hurdler that we've seen this season, and he's going to confirm that by making it three Grade Ones in a row under Paul Townend here. It's a small field of six runners, which probably reflects the fact that nobody really wants to take on Kopek Des Bordes. All this builds towards the feature race of the day – the William Hill Champion Chase (6.0). Barry Connell's Queen Mother winner Marine Nationale is out to prove that Cheltenham wasn't a fluke. I think he's going to be up against it though, with a very interesting move, as Fact To File drops back down to the minimum trip. Despite winning the Ryanair Chase over two and a half miles last month, and being so good in defeat behind Galopin Des Champs over three miles before that, connections have decided to drop him back down to the Champion Chase trip of two miles. Mark Walsh on Fact To File jump the last on their way to victory at Cheltenham. Pic: David Fitzgerald/Sportsfile I think he's got that much class, the class that we saw when he beat Spillane's Tower, Galopin Des Champs, Fastorslow and Inothe – wayurthinkin around this track in November over two miles and three furlongs. He has got that level of talent and I think that Fact To File will prove that this distance is no barrier to success for him, and he will dethrone the Cheltenham champion. The third race on the card is the Killashee Hotel Handicap Hurdle (3.40) and it's a really competitive race over two miles. I like Lark In The Mornin here – he's still well handicapped in my eyes. He won the Fred Winter last year at Cheltenham off a mark of 122. While he disappointed behind Kargese in the County Hurdle at Cheltenham last time, I think he's a much better horse than that run. I think the drying ground will enhance his chances and a mark of 130 is very workable. Lark In the Mornin is going to take a lot of beating here. Lark In The Mornin, with JJ Slevin up, on their way to winning the Boodles Juvenile Handicap Hurdle at Cheltenham in 2024. Pic: Harry Murphy/Sportsfile Probably the most difficult race of the day for a punter is the Albert Bartlett Triple Crown Series Final Handicap Hurdle (3.05) with a maximum field of 25. A lot of UK form in here but I'm going to side with a horse called Hartur D'arc. It's very encouraging that Keith Donoghue has opted to ride this one out of the three that Gavin Cromwell has running here. For Keith to get down to 11 stone is him not eating for a week, so it must be significant that he has felt it's worth coming down to his minimum weight to ride Hartur D'arc. The other thing to note is that Hartur D'arc's chase rating is 140 but his hurdles rating, which he's running off, is 118, so he's theoretically 22 pounds well in. I think that should make him very hard to beat. Sean Flanagan on Hartur D'arc at Fairyhouse in 2024. Pic: Seb Daly/Sportsfile In the Goffs Defender Bumper (5.25), there is one I think is interesting. It's a notoriously difficult race to assess and a lot of it comes down to luck in running. I finished second and third but never managed to win it as a rider – let's hope I can find the winner this year! I doubt I ever rode a horse as well bred as Leader Des Bordes, which Patrick Mullins will be riding for his dad, Willie. This French-bred is a half-brother to Kopek Des Bordes and Utopie Des Bordes, cost €210,000 as a store and I think Michael O'Leary will be hoping that his new acquisition could turn into something nearly as good as his brother.
