It’s For Me and Loughglynn make winning starts over hurdles at Punchestown

Some of the brighter lights of the winter National Hunt season continue to trickle from Willie Mullins’ Closutton yard and on Thursday’s card in Punchestown, two young horses of great potential, both of which contested the Champion Bumper at the 2023 Cheltenham Festival, made winning starts over timber.

It’s For Me contested the Ladbrokes Play ‘1-2-Free’ On Football Maiden Hurdle and, ridden by Paul Townend and carrying the colours of Isaac Souede and Simon Munir, he duly justified heavy market support.

The keen-going tendencies which were in evidence in his bumper outings, were once again on show, but this was a good test of his ability, with Caldwell Potter and Ascending amongst the opposition.

Having become somewhat lit up leaving the back for the final time, there was much to be taken from the fact he was able to pull out extra in the closing stages. There will be tougher tests ahead, but a stronger race would likely help him settle better, and the hood he wore this time certainly provided some assistance in the early stages of this race.

“We got racing from a bit further out than I planned,” admitted Townend. “He was very keen and got a bit of light leaving the backstraight and just took off on me. From taking off that far from home, he was entitled to give a blow when he straightened up, down past the two pole. He popped the last and once he took his blow, he opened up again and was never going to get beaten.

“He has a huge engine and is another exciting horse in these colours, but we’ve got to try to tame him a small bit.” 

The shortest priced runner of the meeting was Mullins’ Loughglynn, who contested the Connolly’s Red Mills Irish EBF Auction Maiden Hurdle. In the very early stages, he had the company of Ivy Hall, but that was short-lived, and Townend’s mount raced alone thereafter. He wandered around going to the last and was untidy at the obstacle but picked up again to win with little fuss.

A fine ride by James Hannon gained Baldur’s Gate his stripes in the Ladbrokes “We Play Together” Handicap Chase. A lightly-raced eight-year-old with three placed efforts in point-to-points and three more over fences, Denise O’Shea’s gelding moved well through the race and quickly asserted when long-time leader Black Samurai made a mistake at the second-last.

Aslukwoodhavit ran out an easy winner of the Ladbrokes Fanzone “Your Team, Your Game” Rated Novice Chase. The seven-year-old, who won his maiden hurdle in April, could be noted travelling strongly and jumping well from an early stage and when Rachael Blackmore asked him to assert, he did so in good style.

Semblance Of Order, an 80-rated Flat horse whose progress in that sphere hit the buffers when he developed problems with starting stalls and twice refused to race, made the perfect start to his jumps career when winning the Ladbrokes Daily Odds Boost 3-Y-O Maiden Hurdle. Ridden by Sam Ewing for Andy Oliver, he was always in touch, jumped well and stayed on well to beat the promising Eagles Reign.

The Ladbrokes Play ‘Instant Spins’ Handicap Hurdle was a lively betting affair, with a late gamble on Ellaat and strong support for Lazer Wolf, but they were unable to cope with Miss Pronunciation. A winner last time, at Limerick, Pádraig Roche’s mare, again ridden by Mark Walsh, found plenty to beat Lazer Wolf by a length and a half, with Ellaat a couple further back, and the eye-catching Morricone in fourth.

Another last-time-out winner, Hunting Brook, took the finale under an ultra-confident ride by Danny Gilligan. Gordon Elliott’s runner travelled strongly throughout, won as he pleased and, on this evidence, there is more to come.