Stunning Faugheen takes flight
For a horse that won over three miles in a bog at Limerick, this was a stunning display of powerful front running.
There were questions marks regarding his jumping, but the imposing son of Germany put those to bed in emphatic style.
Ruby Walsh soon had the winner bowling along in front and they had their rivals gasping for breath a fair way out.
Faugheen quickened impressively off the home turn and then sprinted away to beat his stable companion, Valseur Lido, by 12 lengths.
Thoughts now have to turn to a possible tilt at next year’s Champion Hurdle, with Willie Mullins far from ruling it out and indicating there is every chance Faugheen, who was always supposed to be a chaser in the making, may well remain over flights.
“He only ran because Vautour failed a late fitness test,” revealed Mullins. “Vautour wasn’t right at declaration time. There wasn’t much wrong with him and I expect he will run here on Friday. That was a fair performance (by Faugheen), he was very good on that ground.”
On Walsh’s much earlier return to riding than might have been expected, Mullins remarked: “Ruby said at Cheltenham that his aim was to get back for this meeting and he generally does what he says he is going to. He looks as good as ever.”
Commented Walsh: “He was very, very good and jumped like a buck. They are good horses and he beat them by 12 lengths, he could have won by 20 lengths. He could be a Champion Hurdle horse.
“Patrick Mullins is always saying he is as good a bumper horse as he has ever ridden and he’s right.”
Sizing Europe didn’t half turn the clock back with a scintillating performance to land his eighth Grade 1 in the Boylesports.com Champion Chase.
He’s now a 12-year-old and really shouldn’t be good enough for this type of contest, but his enthusiasm for the game remains undimmed. Even more importantly, he retains an awful lot of the ability, which saw him land this by no less than five and a half lengths.
Andrew Lynch allowed Sizing Europe stride on coming away from the third last and this immaculate jumper powered clear in the closing stages to beat Ballynagour.
Commented trainer Henry de Bromhead: “He’s an amazing horse, brilliant. Andrew gave him a fantastic ride, he loved the ground and was just deadly.
“He was sublime and almost ran away with the lads at home yesterday. We always thought there was another big one in him, but he just wasn’t doing it, maybe it’s the ground! He loves this place.”
Asked as to whether Sizing Europe would continue to race, de Bromhead said he would be leaving that to the owners of the horse, Ann and Alan Potts.
Alan Potts subsequently admitted that this may well have been Sizing Europe’s swansong, although that was far from set in stone.
Well-backed favourite Hidden Cyclone took a nasty fall at the sixth and badly hampered Module, who was immediately pulled up.
The third Grade 1 of the evening was won in game fashion by the John Kiely-trained Carlingford Lough, under a typical Tony McCoy drive.
The patiently ridden Ballycasey looked the likely winner in the straight, but his stamina ebbed away from the back of the last and McCoy seized the opportunity to drive Carlingford Lough past.
“We freshened him up, brought him back and he delivered,” reported a delighted Kiely.
Could he be a Gold Cup horse? “We’ll see what happens next season, he will come back in a conditions race in the autumn.”
Dermot Weld’s newcomer, Forgotten Rules, backed as if defeat was out of the question, won the Bumper doing handstands, by 13 lengths.
Truth to tell he hardly left second gear, under an ultra-confident Robbie McNamara ride.
McNamara told him to lead approaching the home turn and the son of Nayef produced a devastating turn of foot to shoot clear in a matter of strides.
Said Weld: “This is a very talented horse, he is a stayer with speed.
“We will take our time with him, one day at the time. I could leave the horse off for the summer, he will always want nice ground.”
There was a fair amount of fallout after the contest. McNamara weighed in 1.7lbs over his correct weight and was suspended for five days. He was also referred to the medical officer of the Turf Club to review his weight issues.
The stewards also inquired into the performance of eighth-placed Akito, trained by Philip Fenton and ridden by Kevin Power. They found Power guilty of making insufficient effort and he was suspended for ten days. The horse was suspended for 60 days and Fenton fined €2,000.
A year ago the great Sprinter Sacre lit up Punchestown and he was very much in his trainer Nicky Henderson’s thoughts, after he had saddled Cool Macavity to take the Bragbet.com Handicap Hurdle.
“That was the most extraordinary day of the year,” recalled Henderson. “It is great to get one on the board, although it is hardly of Sprinter Sacre proportions.”
City Slicker made a brave attempt to defy top weight from the front and was still leading them all a merry dance heading to the final flight.
But Barry Geraghty was now in full flow on the winner and Cool Macavity sailed past on the run in.
Continuing Henderson said: “He’s a sweet little horse, but a summer one. Barry wants him to go for the Galway Hurdle.”
Willie Mullins, on the mark with Faugheen, completed a double when his newcomer, Very Much So, an easy to back 12-1 shot, took the Goffs’ Land Rover Bumper.
This half-brother to Jessies Dream kept finding for Jonathan Burke to beat Snow Falcon by three parts of a length.
* The attendance was 19,459, as against 18,605 last year. That was the biggest Tuesday crowd ever at Punchestown and a remarkable figure, considering Sprinter Sacre would have been a massive draw a year ago.
