Georgie Benson gained a notable first big-race success at Punchestown today as she steered front-running 20/1 outsider Knockiel Synge to land the Kildare Hunt Club Ladies Cup.

Based with leading trainer Gordon Elliott, Benson had previously won two point-to-points on the Peter Flood-trained ten-year-old and he today benefitted from a fine ride when battling well from the second-last to beat Fountain House by 4.5 lengths.

Nina Carberry was the most recent female rider to win the race, in 2016, and today, trainer Flood reported “Georgie gave him a brilliant ride and did everything that we wanted. She does a lot of work with him - we don't really train him at all, we only mess around with him.

“He had been running well in a few of the point-to-point banks races and we brought him here in February because we wanted to get a school around It was hot race that day but we really fancied him today.”

“The better ground helped and he really loves the banks. If it was a normal race we'd be in trouble but the banks make all the difference.”

The winner pulled a shoe in-running and Flood joked “he does that a lot — that's the only problem we have with him! He is a pleasure to have and I'm delighted for Hugh (Mulvihill) who has had horses with me for seven years and is clerk of the scales at all the Westmeath and Longford point-to-points.

“We won the local race in Castletown-Geoghegan the last day, this is up there with that but it's hard to believe that I've trained a winner here.

“I'd say he'll come back on Saturday - we might get another day out.”

Quotes from Gary Carson