Ballymore Champion Four

Year Old Hurdle (Group 1)

PAUL Townend showed no ill effects of losing his jockeys’ championship crown as he saved one of his best rides of the season for the race immediately after his place was confirmed in the standings, delivering a peach to make it 22 Grade 1s for the season on Kargese.

Capping off a stellar season for the Co Cork native - a campaign in which he arguably achieved the most impressive CV of any National Hunt rider for a single season - he showed huge coolness and poise to come late down the outer and deny Bottler’secret in the Ballymore Champion Four Year Old Hurdle.

The length-and-a-half triumph also demonstrated the excellent constitution of the Kenny Alexander-owned mare. Having won at the highest level at the Dublin Racing Festival, she continued to take her races extremely well when second in the Triumph Hurdle behind Majborough and second in Aintree’s Anniversary Hurdle to Sir Gino, before this successful return to Punchestown.

Mullins said of the winning 9/4 favourite: “She’s very tough. She went to four Grade 1 races at four different festivals this spring, and she was really hard on herself at Aintree.

“It was a tremendous performance to come back here today in this form. To see where she was turning from home, Paul certainly got his fractions right and got the jump right at the last. I think she deserved that after Aintree.”

On some of his beaten runners, Mullins added: “Storm Heart ran a cracker in fourth. There’s lots to take from that. Batman Girac ran well too [in sixth], and Highwind [last to complete] didn’t like the ground.”

Could the winner be a future chaser?

“She’s big enough to jump a fence but I’d imagine she’ll stay over hurdles, though we haven’t really discussed next season,” said the champion trainer. “We’ll have a word with Peter Molony [racing manager to Kenny Alexander] and Paul to see what they think.”

Townend emerged from the 2024 Punchestown Festival with six winners, including five at Grade 1 level. His total haul of 22 Grade 1 winners matches his best season in terms of victories at the highest level, as well as equalling what is understood to be the previous record set by Ruby Walsh in 2015/’16.

On his championship battle with Jack Kennedy, Townend added: “It was a great competition between us. It added extra spice to the week. Myself and Jack wouldn’t let it interfere too much but it’s obviously a lot of noise to bring in. Fair play to Jack. He’s upped the bar and pushed me. Both of us have had our best seasons numerically.”

Kargese is priced between 5/1 and 10/1 for Cheltenham’s 2025 Mares’ Hurdle.