Trainer Colm Murphy’s horses are hitting top form at present and his The Hard Hat bounced back from two pulled up efforts to win the €10 Admission Handicap Chase at Punchestown today.

Ridden by Robbie Power, the son of Beneficial got to the front on the run-in, wearing down By The Hour and Sang Bleu close home.

Afterwards Murphy, who registered a Grade 1 and two Grade 2 wins in the last fortnight, said “that’s more like it! It was probably a mistake running his at Galway the last day when the ground was terrible. It was his first run back and Puppy (Robbie Power’s nickname) did the right thing pulling him up – that’s probably the reason he won today.”

“I imagine we’ll wait for Christmas now but we’ll see what the handicapper does. I imagine he might get into something like the Paddy Power Chase at Leopardstown - I’ll feel my way with him, he might get the three miles.”