900 not out for Walsh at Punchestown

As a Kildare native who grew up in thrall to racing in Clane and learned the game under the gaze of Christy Roche at The Curragh, Mark Walsh could not have wished for a better place to record his 900th winner as a jockey than Punchestown and at the Punchestown Festival.

This was where Walsh rode his first winner, appositely named Shrug, for Marcus Callaghan in a 0-109 handicap hurdle on September 29, 2002 and it is where he reached a landmark very few jockeys can ever dream of, not a million miles from a quarter of a century later.

It arrived on board the brilliant Dinoblue (2/5f) in the Grade 2 Hanlon EBF Glencaraig Lady Mares’ Chase and it was an appropriate winner in more than one way, as owner JP McManus’ racing manager, Frank Berry, rode Glencaraig Lady to win the Cheltenham Gold Cup in 1972.

This was about Walsh though and he rode another masterful race, charting a wide path in search of less watered ground, as Keith Donoghue sought to ask a different question than often posed of the favourite by making the running on Only By Night, who had chased Dinoblue home in the Mares’ Chase at Cheltenham.

There was an air of inevitability about proceedings entering the final three-quarters of a mile, however, though there was a scare when Dinoblue took off too early at the third-last and just about made it to the other side, scattering plenty of birch in getting from A to B.

She was able to cruise home from there, however, with fellow Willie Mullins trainee, Spindleberry picking up the pieces from a long way back to plunder runner-up prize money, a flattering six and a half lengths behind.

“Brilliant,” said the understated Walsh, appreciative but eschewing animation. “Starting out you just want to lose your claim and then when you want to lose your claim you want to ride big winners so to get 900 is brilliant.

“She was brilliant bar the third-last. She was meeting it a little wrong and she just came and was brave but that was the only blip. She was great. She can do it from the front, from the back, two miles, two and a half, two mile six, she’s very versatile. She can win at any trip and she likes it here.

“She’s a joy. She’s so easy to ride.” 

An oasis of calm followed the Uniquely Champion Hunters Chase, though the finish was anything but, Rob James eliciting a final thrust from Wonderwall (9/2) to deny Its On The Line a fourth straight success in the race.

“He’s brilliant, an unbelievable horse. It just didn’t happen for him in Cheltenham,” said winning trainer Sam Curling. 

“I wanted to get another run into him before Cheltenham but they called off Lisronagh. It was kind of my fault that he wasn’t ready enough. He won well in Dromahane last time and Rob gave him a lovely ride there. He’s a funny old horse, he likes plenty of room and light. It probably suits him better here.” The musical theme continued as Mullins made it a double and saddled his ninth winner of the Punchestown Festival, Funiculi Funicula (7/2) following up an eye-catching victory in Cork – Harry Cobden’s first on Irish soil – with a tremendous weight-carrying performance under Paul Townend in the Listed QuinnBet Novice Handicap Chase by three lengths from Harry Derham-trained British raider, Norn Iron.

“It was a good performance,” said Closutton lieutenant, David Casey. “He’s a horse that we always liked. He got beat in his first couple of beginners’ chases but did well to win in Cork and he was good today. We’re delighted with him. He just got a little bit low (at the second-last) but he’s only a novice and his jumping is improving. Paul said he was good with him all the way bar that.” 

Jetbob (28/1) added the cherry on top of a fruitful week and year for Seán Doyle, rewarding the enterprising tactics of Jamie Scallan in the plate to win the Stanley Asphalt Hunters Chase for the prestigious Bishopscourt Cup as the penultimate leg of the Punchestown Festival got under way.

Doyle is one of a triumvirate of Wexford-based producers of young NH stock but the man known as ‘Farmer’ can is not a one-trick pony as evidenced by plotting a route to this target with Henry Chamney’s seven-year-old.

Scallan bounced out in front from the drop of the flag and never saw another rival. He had built up such a lead that he could afford to give his partner a breather, before pulling away to win by 11 lengths from 4/5 favourite Hearts And Spades.

“This has been the plan for a while,” Doyle informed. “He probably wanted that bit of dry ground. Jamie went out with a plan in his head and by God he executed it well,” said Doyle, who has enjoyed a spectacular season in on the point-to-point circuit and the attendant auctions, most recently selling two maiden winners for a combined €300,000 at last night’s Goffs Punchestown NH Sale.

That came after securing the highest price ever for a mare when Ryan Mahon and Dan Skelton forked out £435,000 for Dromahane victor, Mifa d’Airy at Aintree a fortnight ago.