Spades are indeed Trumps at Punchestown

We had a 4/11 shot turned over in the opening Betdaq Trading Tools Maiden Hurdle at Punchestown as the Yeats four-year-old Spades Are Trumps gained the day.

Hot-pot Paloma Blue jumped better than he'd done at Naas, ridden from the front on this occasion by Davy Russell.

Spades Are Trumps and Athenean mightn't have matched Paloma Blue in the hurdling department in the closing stages, but Henry de Bromhead's well-backed odds-on chance couldn't hold on.

The verdicts at the line were Spades Are Trumps (Gavin Cromwell/Barry Geraghty) by a head from Paloma Blue, with just the same distance back to Athenean (Noel Meade/Jack Kennedy) in third.

Ten to one shot Spades Are Trumps had caught the eye with a debut third placing at Wexford a month ago for J P McManus.

"He jumped quite novicey the first day but has schooled well since. He's progressed well from Wexford and was entitled to run well although the favourite was obviously a big danger," stated Cromwell in the aftermath.

"I'll have a chat with the lads and see where we go from here."

(AM & EM)