Twelve of the 19 runners for Gowran's Full Circle Series At Punchestown Festival 2024 Qualifier Handicap Hurdle were pulled up in testing conditions today, with a cosy win being recorded by patiently-ridden Alpesh Amin (11/1).

Alpesh Amin's previous two wins were gained on heavy ground at Limerick and today scored under a nonchalant Conor McNamara-ride, arrived from well off the pace to cheekily beat runner-up The Lovely Man by two lengths.

Winning trainer Eric McNamara wasn't present and his son, and winning rider, revealed “they all just went too quick and stopped, it was madness what they did. I jumped the last hurdle the same speed as I jumped the first hurdle.

“He’s won on that ground before but he was beaten the last day in Limerick and has found his mark. I don’t even know if he was the best horse in the race but I just took my time and over half the field pulled up. I was lucky the way the cards played out and the gallop they went.

He added “we’ll have a look at the Full Circle Series Final in Punchestown which is a great initiative. The ground might be too quick but we’ll see what happens.”

Quotes from Alan Magee