Punchestown Thursday review: Reports, reaction and free video replays

Fab display from odds-on favourite

Sporting Life Arkle winner El Fabiolo cemented his place at the top of the two-mile novice chasing division with victory in Punchestown's Grade 1 Barberstown Castle Novice Chase.

Willie Mullins' six-year-old ace was backing up wins at Fairyhouse, Leopardstown and Cheltenham to make it a perfect four from four over the larger obstacles this season, and did so in tremendous style in the hands of Paul Townend.

Stablemate Dysart Dynamo took the four-runner field along under Danny Mullins and still held the advantage turning for home, but El Fabiolo was going through the gears and put in a fine leap at the second last. The 1/4 favourite settled the race instantly and was good at the last fence when asked for a big jump.

Dysart Dynamo (5/1) stuck on gallantly for second, 11 lengths adrift of the brilliant winner, and 40/1 shot Indiana Jones was a further five lengths back in third, with Saint Roi (11/1) fourth.

Mullins trains 16 horses for owners Simon Munir and Isaac Souede and all 15 that have run this season for the Closutton handler have found the scoresheet. The final horse, Readin Tommy Wrong, will attempt to complete the clean sweep when he is due to run at Ballinrobe next Tuesday.

Sky Bet reacted by making El Fabiolo 2/1 from 5/2 for the Queen Mother Champion Chase at next year's Cheltenham Festival. Betfair and Paddy Power go 7/4 for the same race.

"You couldn’t get any better (than that),” said Mullins.

“I was worried had Danny stolen a march but Paul said when he pulled his fella out and just said, ‘go,’ he just lit up underneath him and it was like going up a gear and he was just travelling in overdrive. It was very easy.

"He just jumped the last two and that was all he needed to do and he did that easy. He was a bit ring-rusty over the first couple. Even though Danny was going a hell of a good gallop on Dysart Dynamo, who does go a good gallop, Paul felt he might have been going too steady for him. So when a jockey comes out and says that to you, that sounds awesome.

"Dysart Dynamo doesn’t know when to give up and that might be his downfall. It was great to see him getting up in Cheltenham. He got a horrendous fault but he got up, shook himself and came home and he’s been fine since."

Blue is the colour once again

Dinoblue justified strong late support to beat British raider Douglas Talking in the Pigsback.com Handicap Chase.

The Mullins-trained mare has taken to fences well this season and after a fine second to Maskada in the Grand Annual on her handicap debut at Cheltenham in March, she easily went one better at Fairyhouse's big Easter Festival.

Bumped up 7lb for her troubles, the seven-year-old defied the assessor with a smooth display in the hands of Mark Walsh, coming with a well-timed run after the last fence to score cosily from Lucinda Russell's runner, who had set out to make all.

Third went to The Folkes Tiara (11/1), with Hollow Games (7/1) fourth.

Sky Bet make Dinoblue 20/1 (from 33s) for the Mrs Paddy Power Mares' Chase at Cheltenham next March.

Mullins, who earlier also won the Ladbrokes Champion Stayers Hurdle for a third time with Klassical Dream (3/1 joint-favourite), made it four for the day when Ballyburn (10/11 favourite) won the JP & M Doyle (C & G) Flat Race impressively.

“It was a real good performance. Once again he pulled very hard but once Patrick (Mullins) got him down to gallop he picked up well,” said Mullins.

“To run away from a nice field of bumper horses, that’s nice for Ronnie (Bartlett, joint owner with football agent David Manasseh) for next season.”

The sponsors cut Ballyburn to 8/1 from 12/1 for next year's Sky Bet Supreme Novices' Hurdle at Cheltenham.

Honeyball on the money again

Anthony Honeyball made another successful raid on the Punchestown Festival when Kilbeg King finished with plenty of gusto to land the Conway Piling Handicap Hurdle.

The Dorset-based handler has a stellar record when sending travellers to the Kildare track, winning with Sully D’Oc AA in 2021, before saddling Lilith to strike 12 months ago and he was on the mark with his first runner at the meeting this time around.

There was €29,500 on offer to the winner in this fiercely competitive three-mile hurdle, but there was never any doubt the prize-money was heading home with the Potwell Farm handler once Aidan Coleman forced his way to the front, the duo pulling four-and-a-half-lengths clear of the runner-up Lets Go Champ.

Honeyball was thrilled to add to his tally at Punchestown and said: “We’ve been very lucky here. We brought him here nice and early, he got here on Monday. We weren’t sure if he was good enough but we felt that he’d run his race.

“Aidan gave him an absolute peach. He had to scrap a bit to get him out and once he got out he cut loose. He had quite a hard race at Newbury when finishing second and we thought we’d wait then until Punchestown. We love coming here and it’s a 0-145.

“It’s worked out well. We got him fresh and they have been very good to us here and we had a few canters on the course. It does horses good after a long season.

“I think the better ground was probably a help as well although he’s a heavy topped horse and it wouldn’t want to be any quicker than this."

There was no joy however for Lilith in the defence of her Close Brothers Irish EBF Mares Handicap Chase crown, with the eight-year-old well held in third.

Tight call in 2m handicap hurdle

Broomfield Bijou won the Specialist Group Handicap Hurdle by a nose from By Your Side in a desperate finish to the opening race.

Mullins' 16/1 outsider Feu Du Bresil led into the straight and looked to have most of the field in trouble but his stride shortened after the last flight and 6/1 market leader Broomfield Bijou, together with 13/2 chance By Your Side, swept past close home to fight out the final 100 yards.

Gordon Elliott's By Your Side looked to have edged ahead but the photo revealed the Philip Dempsey-trained Broomfield Bijou had held on to grab the win by the narrowest of margins under jockey Luke Dempsey.

There was drama earlier in the race when Feu Du Bresil's stablemate Figaroc (12/1), as well as 33/1 shot Listentillitellyea and 100/1 chance Francois were all carried out by a loose horse at the last hurdle in the back straight which also saw Gentleman Joe (17/2) unseat rider Rachael Blackmore.

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