Derham delivers maiden Grade 1 to get British off the mark  

JJ Slevin hailed the ambition of trainer Harry Derham after the Kilkenny jockey piloted Le Frimeur (18/1) to an impressive victory in the Grade 1 Channor Real Estate Group Novice Hurdle on day two of the Punchestown Festival. It was a first top-flight success for Derham, who saddled his first festival success 12 months ago when Ascending Lark took the spoils in the Killashee Hotel Handicap Hurdle. And it was during the meeting that Simon Munir, who owns Le Frimeur in conjunction with Isaac Souede, told him he would send him a horse. Prior to that, Derham had travelled as assistant to his uncle, Paul Nicholls, when Clan Des Obeaux won the Ladbrokes Punchestown Gold Cup in 2021. It was fitting so, that on Ladbrokes Punchestown Gold Cup day five years later, he would be recording such a landmark triumph. Slevin made the running throughout and though six-in-a-row chasing Zanoosh loomed approaching the last, he had enough under the bonnet to pull away and deliver by six and a half lengths. “He’s on the upgrade but it was a big shout from Harry coming here, to run him in that race. Rated 129, you would think a handicap would be a logical way to go but I’ve been over there a few times riding out, great facilities, great schooling grounds, great gallop, so fair play to him, it’s great. “Harry is a young trainer, very ambitious. He’s only going one way and that’s up.” Derham was overjoyed. “It’s a cliché but I genuinely dream about training Grade 1 winners,” said Derham. “It’s absolutely unreal. Obviously it makes it an awful lot easier with very good horses. Simon actually grabbed me on the arm at this meeting last year and said he was going to send me this horse. To have the access to horses like this is something unbelievable. “We had no idea how good he was coming here and I’m still not sure we do to be honest. JJ said he did plenty wrong in the race and he’s beaten a quality field well. It’s absolutely unreal. We obviously believed in the horse a lot or we wouldn’t have brought him here. JJ thought three miles was the right thing to do and it’s absolutely unreal.” A Cheltenham Festival-winning combination took the opening race of the day, as Jacovec Cavern landed the Adare Manor Opportunity Series Final Handicap Hurdle with a degree of comfort. Trained by Paul Hennessy for the Turner family and ridden by Richie Condon, the 33/1 shot prevailed by 11 lengths from Aguellid to record a first triumph over hurdles at the 19th time of asking, having previously scored on the flat and over fences. The owner/trainer/jockey association had previously won the Coral Cup at Cheltenham with Heaven Help Us in 2021 but by the sounds of things, winning at Punchestown meant just as much and the celebrations would equal those of five years ago – at least. “It’s wonderful, we are a small team and we enjoy the craic,” said Hennessy. “They are fantastic owners and have been very patient. We ran him in a Triumph Hurdle three years ago, when he was 300/1, and he ran well in it. We thought we’d have great fun with him but it’s taken a while. “All the owners are here and we’ll enjoy it, on a fine day like this at Punchestown.” Kildare trainers experienced a wonderful time on Day 1 of the Punchestown Festival and those fortunes continued in the right direction today. Ross O’Sullivan, who is based in nearby Kill, saddled the 1-2 in the Connolly’s Red Mills EBF Auction Hurdle Final and it was the ultra-consistent Raise You Up that prevailed under Danny Gilligan, the well-backed 5/1 shot coming home four lengths clear from De Jour En Jour, getting 15lbs from his stablemate thanks to the 5lbs claim of Eoin Staples. Much like the connections of the opener, it was an occasion that would be marked in suitable fashion. “There are a good crew over from England and also from Cork. He’s owned by a very good man in Richard Murphy,” a delighted O’Sullivan explained. “They stayed over last night and they’re staying again tonight so they’ll give it the hoo-hah! “He’s a nice horse. He won twice during the winter and the plan then was to come for the final. It’s great prize money by Red Mill and it’s a great initiative. “Our horse, owned by the Monroes in Galway, finished second. You couldn’t have imagined a better result. I’d imagine they'll want to Galway with him.” Jessica Harrington bagged her second win of the festival when saddling Quinta Do Lago to victory in the Louis Fitzgerald Hurdle. It was the Moone maestro’s fourth triumph in the contest in the past decade and it rarely looked in doubt under a confident Donagh Meyler. The subject of plenty of market support, the 9/2 shot had taken time to progress after winning his maiden hurdle but from the moment Meyler, who has had an unforgettable season, looked between his legs for danger, the writing was on the wall. “When I swung down the back, I couldn’t have been any happier with where I was, with the way he was travelling and the way he was jumping. I had a clean passage throughout the race, he travelled well going down to the last and picked up again after the last. “They have done Trojan work here, fair play to them. They have done a fantastic job on the ground, it’s just on the easy side of good.” “We don’t have many national hunt horses now,” Harrington noted. “I’d like a few more of them, we can still train them. I’d say what he really appreciated today was the step up in trip. He’s always been a strong stayer.”