Jack Kennedy’s skills in the saddle were the talk of Punchestown on Tuesday where he shone on two winners for Gordon Elliott. His effort on 20/1 chance Mighty Potter, owned by Caldwell Construction, in the Grade 1 Bective Stud Champion Novice Hurdle was simply top-class, man-marking Paul Townend on the Willie Mullins-trained Sir Gerhard and keeping the 4/7 favourite in a pocket after the fourth-last hurdle and again before the penultimate flight. The race was over when Kennedy kicked for home on the five-year-old turning into the straight and he was soon clear, winning by four lengths from the Oliver McKiernan-trained Gatsby Grey with the odds-on favourite fading into third place. Kennedy followed up straight away in the feature handicap hurdle and a change of race-riding tactics on the Gigginstown House Stud-owned Felix Desjy saw the nine-year-old find winning form again at odds of 11/1 as he got the better of Willie Mullins’ 17/2 chance Farout by three-parts of a length. The Galway Hurdle is the winner’s summer target. The Davy Russell-ridden Party Central and Absolute Notions, the mount of amateur rider Declan Lavery, were other winners on the festival’s opening day for Elliott.
Bryan Cooper landed his Punchestown festival on Friday when he landed the Grade 2 Glencarraig Lady Francis Flood Mares Chase on the Joseph O'Brien-trained Scarlet And Dove. The Tralee jockey made all the running on the 3/1 chance which went clear from the second last fence to win as she liked from 8/11 favourite Elimay, comprehensively turning around recent Cheltenham Festival form. The winner, owned by Gigginstown House Stud, will have a Grade 1 success as her main objective next season.
