O'Sullivan and Harrington are popular winners at Punchestown
Danny Gilligan on the Ross O'Sullivan trainer Raise You Up beats Donagh Meyler on Vittorio Piel into third to win The Connolly`s RED MILLS Irish EBF Auction Hurdle Series Final Photo: ©INPHO/Morgan Treacy
Kildare trainers experienced a wonderful time on Day 1 of the Punchestown Festival and those fortunes continued in the right direction today.
Ross O’Sullivan, who is based in nearby Kill, saddled the 1-2 in the Connolly’s Red Mills EBF Auction Hurdle Final and it was the ultra-consistent Raise You Up that prevailed under Danny Gilligan, the well-backed 5/1 shot coming home four lengths clear from De Jour En Jour, getting 15lbs from his stablemate thanks to the 5lbs claim of Eoin Staples.
Much like the connections of the opener, it was an occasion that would be marked in suitable fashion.
“There are a good crew over from England and also from Cork. He’s owned by a very good man in Richard Murphy,” a delighted O’Sullivan explained. “They stayed over last night and they’re staying again tonight so they’ll give it the hoo-hah!
“He’s a nice horse. He won twice during the winter and the plan then was to come for the final. It’s great prize money by Red Mill and it’s a great initiative.
“Our horse, owned by the Monroes in Galway, finished second. You couldn’t have imagined a better result. I’d imagine they'll want to Galway with him.”
Jessica Harrington bagged her second win of the festival when saddling Quinta Do Lago to victory in the Louis Fitzgerald Hurdle. It was the Moone maestro’s fourth triumph in the contest in the past decade and it rarely looked in doubt under a confident Donagh Meyler.
The subject of plenty of market support, the 9/2 shot had taken time to progress after winning his maiden hurdle but from the moment Meyler, who has had an unforgettable season, looked between his legs for danger, the writing was on the wall.
“When I swung down the back, I couldn’t have been any happier with where I was, with the way he was travelling and the way he was jumping. I had a clean passage throughout the race, he travelled well going down to the last and picked up again after the last.
“They have done Trojan work here, fair play to them. They have done a fantastic job on the ground, it’s just on the easy side of good.”
“We don’t have many national hunt horses now,” Harrington noted. “I’d like a few more of them, we can still train them. I’d say what he really appreciated today was the step up in trip. He’s always been a strong stayer.”
