Carberry wins double at Punchestown

Champion jockey Paul Carberry ended the year with a well-executed double at Punchestown to enhance his good strike-rate since resuming after injury last Friday.

The rider was supremely confident on both Baily Mist in the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Mares Hurdle, as well as Commonchero, the heavily backed favourite for the Panoramic Restaurant Beginners Chase.

Trained just a couple of miles from the course by Michael O’Brien, Commonchero recorded his fourth victory with the minimum of fuss when going away from his only real challenger Heads On the Ground between the final two fences.

Ideally suited by two miles, the 11-10 market leader jumped to the front four out and Carberry could afford to glance over his shoulder two from home before sending his mount clear at the last.

“This horse jumps really well and has a turn of foot. We will bring him back here next Wednesday and then he could run in the Arkle Cup at Leopardstown towards the end of January,” said winning trainer O’Brien.

Carberry had an even easier task on 5-1 chance Baily Mist in the opener, the Mouse Morris-trained six-year-old proving much too strong for the front-running favourite Kampala II.

The jockey’s hopes of a treble looked bright at one stage as another well-supported favourite, Alicudi, came to join 33-1 chance Colmcille at the second-last and then landed in front with a better jump at the final flight.

However, despite Carberry’s best efforts, Alicudi was unable to reward those who supported the horse from 9-4 to 5-4 favourite as Keith Hadnett got a renewed response from the Michael Holden-trained Colmcille.

Another local trainer to get among the winners at the meeting was Francis Flood, who took the handicap hurdle for the second year in a row as G V A Ireland gained compensation for his defeat just four days previously at Leopardstown.

Flood’s son and namesake enjoyed a bloodless victory on the favourite to the tune of eight lengths as the horse made a quicker than expected return to action.

“We only declared him at the last moment when it looked such a weak race,” Flood snr said. “Thankfully, he has escaped the coughing we have in the yard and if he’s still clear of it we’ll run him next back at Leopardstown in a similar event over three miles.”

Favourite backers were also on the mark in the concluding bumper as According To Billy showed an impressive change of gear in a slowly-run race.

Winning trainer Edward O’Grady revealed that his charge had suffered a spiral fracture of a canon bone last May, but had made a remarkably quick recovery to fulfil the promise shown on the home gallops.