Gigginstown complete €715,000 four-timer at Punchestown

Michael O'Leary's Gigginstown House Stud recorded a four-timer at Punchestown today as yet another of his expensive purchases Battleoverdoyen belatedly made his debut for the owner when landing the concluding Betdaq Commission Back Bumper.

Battleoverdoyen was purchased by O'Leary for GBP235,000 at Cheltenham Horses In Training Sale five days after his debut point-to-point win for trainer Jerry Cosgrave in April 2017 but failed to see any action since then.

Today, under Lisa O'Neill, the son of Doyen showed oodles of ability in beating runner-up Minella Beat by six and a half lengths, despite returning from a 592 day layoff.

Battleoverdoyen's trainer Gordon Elliott had earlier sent out Mengli Khan to a fine debut chase win and following his own second winner, stated “he’s a big chaser and a horse for the future. We think he’s very smart.

“He’d a few niggly problems last year and we didn’t get to run him. He’s only a baby and we might go for that 2m3f bumper in Naas. He’s not a horse that we’re going to do too much with this year. He jumps brilliant and he’s a gorgeous looking horse.

“Lisa said he was very green going to the start, and it was only the last half-furlong that he got going.”

O'Leary's dominance is criticised in some quarters but the owner is clearly putting bread on many tables. His Gigginstown team scooped all the prizemoney with a 1-2-3-4-5 in Navan's opening maiden hurdle on Sunday, but the owner's outlay at public auctions in Ireland for that quintet of geldings was €557,000.

The owner's earlier winners today were geldings Daly Tiger Mengli Khan and Judgement Day which cost a cumulative total of c. €450,000 at public auctions in England, meaning the cost of today's four-timer was €715,000, minus training fees.

Quotes from Alan Magee