Elsie excels to complete Townend's double

The Tom Mullins trained Elsie justified 7/4 favoritism to win the Panoramic Restaurant Mares Maiden Hurdle at Punchestown today, completing a double for jockey Paul Townend.

Following the win, Mullins stated “she deserved that but little did I think when she won her Bumper that I'd be waiting this long to win her maiden hurdle! She did it well in the end though and we'll keep battling away during the summer with her now.

We've no firm plans but if she could bag a good handicap hurdle before the end of the season that could be a plan. She has options in mares' races and might even jump a fence. Paul (Townend) said she'll stay two and a half miles but we might even go for a 1m6f maiden on the flat.”

Townend was earlier successful on Away We Go for Mullins' brother Willie Mullins.

By Thomas Weekes, quotes from Gary Carson