Jezki confirmed his Cheltenham superiority over Hurricane Fly with an all-the-way win in the three-runner Racing Post Champion Hurdle at Punchestown.
Jessica Harrington’s stable star was something of a surprise winner of the Champion Hurdle in March, but there were no excuses for the 19-times Grade One scorer Hurricane Fly on this occasion.
Tony McCoy made sure there was no messing about and quickened the pace from half a mile out, with Ruby Walsh niggling away on Hurricane Fly.
Walsh’s partner looked poised to challenge turning into the straight, but he could never draw level as Jezki won going away as the 4/5 favourite.
It completed a 187 to 1 treble, a second in two days, with Operating landing the Aon Novice Handicap Chase.
The seven-year-old was beginning to look a little disappointing but was sent off at 12 to 1 having won last time out at Cork.
Road To Riches attempted to make all of the running under 7lb conditional Ger Fox and he had everything beaten bar Robbie Power and Operating, who tracked the leader throughout.
It was a battle royal after the last, but Operating came out on top to win by three-quarters of a length, with the Rebecca Curtis-trained The Romford Pele third.
Sizing Gold, the heavily-backed 9/2 favourite, was a huge disappointment.
Successful owner Michael Buckley said: “To be fair to Jessie, she had this race in mind for him all year because he loves this better ground.”
Harrington said: “This has been the plan all year, he’s been disappointing on heavy ground. It was much better at Cork last time when he won and that gave him confidence, he’s jumped great and he stayed galloping. I suppose he might end up a Galway Plate horse, I’ll have to treat him like a good-ground horse. I thought he had a good chance off his weight.”
Harrington's Burn And Turn just got the better of She's Got Grit after the last to win the seaniemac.com EBF Mares Handicap Chase.
Robbie Power cruised through the race on the 7/1 chance and it only looked a matter of time before the jockey took it up from She’s Got Grit, who battled gamely but went down by half a length. Une Artiste was third.
Harrington said: “It’s good that we split them up, she could have run in Operating’s race as well. I thought for a moment she wasn’t going to put her head down. She had a wind op after last summer and has regained her confidence – she jumped great. She’s another one who will be kept going and is another possible for the Galway Plate.”
Vautour replicated stablemate Faugheen by following up a Cheltenham Festival win at the Punchestown meeting in the
Tattersalls Ireland Champion Novice Hurdle.
However, it lacked the fireworks of Faugheen’s display earlier in the week as the talented five-year-old stepped up to two and a half miles for the first time.
Vautour (1/3 fav) was all set to run in the two-mile race on Tuesday but Willie Mullins was not 100 per cent happy with the Supreme Novices’ winner which meant he switched targets.
Noel Meade’s Apache Stronghold, forced to miss Cheltenham after a setback, emerged as a big threat, forcing Ruby Walsh to get serious with Vautour, who won by three and a half lengths.
“The ground was quick enough at Cheltenham and some of our horses are not moving as well this week having run there," Walsh said. “He lacked the same brilliance, but it’s to his credit that he was good enough to win.”
Owner Rich Ricci, who is also responsible for Faugheen, said: “To win when he wasn’t at his best, I’m delighted. I don’t buy that Faugheen is a better horse, maybe he was this week. We’ll go home and sort it all out.”
Mullins added: “It’s great to get a win. Jessie (Harrington) had no runner so we had a chance. That certainly wasn’t anything like his Cheltenham form. Someone said two and a half (miles) was maybe too far, but that can’t be right knowing what he did earlier in the season.
“Maybe the spectacular run left a mark. I didn’t think he was as impressive. “Having been to Cheltenham and been as impressive as he was, you would have said that today was lovely but we know what he can do. He wasn’t right at the beginning of the week, he just wasn’t 100 per cent so had a few easy days, maybe everything took its toll. “Ruby said he was a little bit feely and maybe it was a bit firm at Cheltenham for him. These are all things we have to look at.
“It will be interesting to see what the handicapper says, but I wouldn’t say it was his best performance. “The one owner has so many nice novices so we’ll try and plan for each division next year. “We’ve a lot of thinking to do.”
Rohan's Pride provided his connections with a day they will never forget when winning the opening KFM Hunters Chase.
Restricted to horses owned by landowners in the Kildare area, the well-backed 4 to 1 chance was a winner of a point-to-point at Lisronagh last month, and was too powerful for Shin A Vee in the home straight.
Mtada Supreme, the 7/4 favourite, was beaten when he made a mistake at the last and could finish only third.
Winning trainer Robert Honner, whose family own both the horse and a stud, said: “It’s only my third runner, I got the licence in March.
“To get a winner at the Festival is very exciting. I stand his sire, Pushkin, and to get runners out there I started training this horse. I’m delighted to get a good hunter chase win with him and I’m delighted for my father, who works on the stud with me, and Tommy (Flaherty) the breeder.
“We stand Mustameet as well.”
RESULTS
3.40
1 Rohans Pride (Mr DJ O'Leary) 4/1
2 Shin A Vee (Mr JC Barry) 20/1
3 Mtada Supreme (Mr N McParlan) 7/4 Fav
4.20
1 Operating (RM Power) 12/1
2 Road To Riches (GN Fox) 9/1
3 The Romford Pele (P Townend) 10/1
4 Followmeuptocarlow (AJ McNamara) 9/1
4.55
1 Burn And Turn (RM Power) 7/1
2 Shes Got Grit (AP Heskin) 8/1
3 Une Artiste (P Carberry) 7/1
5.30
1 Jezki (AP McCoy) 4/5 Fav
2 Hurricane Fly (R Walsh) evs
6.10
1 Vautour (R Walsh) 1/3
2 Apache Stronghold (P Carberry) 14/1
