Iris's Gift heading for mighty treble

Iris’s Gift will bid to emulate the mighty Istabraq next Thursday by winning Graded races at the Cheltenham, Aintree and Punchestown Festivals in the same season.

Jonjo O’Neill’s grey is reported to be “better than ever” as he heads for the €125,000 Grade One Ballymore Properties Champion Stayers’ Hurdle on Thursday.

Iris’s Gift travels to Punchestown on the back of victories in the bonusprint.com Stayers’ Hurdle at Cheltenham and the Martell Cognac Laurel Pub Company Liverpool Hurdle at Aintree.

Only Istabraq has scored in Graded events at the three big meetings in the same year, achieving the feat in 1999.

For Iris’s Gift’s owner Robert Lester, landlord of the Red Cow pub at Nantwich, Cheshire, in England, next week is the continuation of a dream.

Lester bought Iris’s Gift out of a field for £5,000 (€7,400) from the horse’s locally-based breeder, former jockey Reg Crank, and the son of Gunner B has now won 11 of his 15 starts and more than £270,000 (€402,000) in prize money.