Punchestown Sunday review & replays

Pure Steel could be on course for a step up to Grade 1 level following a bounce-back win at Punchestown on Sunday.

Trained by Jimmy Mangan for JP McManus, the six-year-old was sent off the 5/6 favourite under Mark Walsh and came home 12 lengths clear of main market rival Break My Soul (11/4) in the Concept Colours Noel Byrne Memorial Rated Novice Chase.

Mangan, trainer of Cheltenham Gold Cup hope Spillane’s Tower for the same owner, suggested the top-class WillowWarm Novice Chase at Fairyhouse may be the next port of call for his improving chaser.

He told Racing TV: “He’s a very nice horse, his future is in front of him and hopefully he keeps improving. He jumped great today.

“He was running a great race here the last day but he decided to hit the third-last and when he recovered the lads were gone and the race was over. He was a slight bit sore in a muscle on a hind quarter (following the last race) and it took a week or two to get it right, but he showed today it was 100%.

“I was pretty hopeful and would have been disappointed if he hadn’t done the business.

“I’ll have a talk to the lads, there’s always the WillowWarm in Fairyhouse, and there’s back here so we’ll see. We’ll stay (in Ireland) for the minute and won’t look too far.”

Regarding his principal Cheltenham Festival hope, Mangan added: “Everything is going according to plan at the moment, all guns blazing and hopefully we’re going to Cheltenham.”

Soldier In Milan took the 1xbet.ie Beginners Chase for trainer Emmet Mullins and jockey Donagh Meyler.

The well-backed 13/8 joint-favourite had outsider My Trump Card for company in the very early stages of the two and three-quarter-mile contest but soon took command and only had Willie Mullins’ Kiss Will to worry about after taking the third-last fence.

Kiss Will looked to be mounting a strong challenge but didn’t meet the penultimate obstacle particularly well and Soldier In Milan was able to go further clear before sticking to the task to score by a length and a half.

My Immortal caused a real turn-up in the Listed 1xbet.ie Grand National Trial Handicap Chase, Barry Connell’s 10-year-old scoring at 40/1 in the hands of amateur rider Finn Maguire.

Always to the fore in a slowly-run race, My Immortal flew the last before scorching clear to beat the Mullins-trained Uncle Pat (17/2) by five lengths, with Built By Ballymore (9/1) a further neck back in third. Gordon Elliott's 20/1 shot Prends Garde A Toi ran on from further back to finish fourth.

There was a double on the day for Connell as Ksar Fatal, formerly trained by Willie Mullins, made a successful start for new connections under Sean Flanagan in the EVAD Technology Group Maiden Hurdle.

The other Listed event on the card - the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Sheila Bourke Novice Hurdle - went to John McConnell's Heads Up, the 5/2 chance finding plenty for pressure on the run-in to hold 4/6 favourite Lazare De Star at bay by three-quarters of a length.

Chase The Moon landed the David Trundley Artist At Punchestown Novice Handicap Hurdle, with Elliott's Soul Asylum making all the running to win the Join Racing TV Now (Pro/Am) Flat Race.

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