What a horse - it's Alderwood

Alderwood a tremendously progressive and game sort, added to successes at the Cheltenham and Fairyhouse Festivals when putting in really gritty performance to land the Grade 1 Evening Herald Champion Novice Hurdle at Punchestown.

Three years his junior but rated three pounds superior on ratings, Trifolium the odds-on favourite, looked sure to score when sent on by Davy Russell into the straight. However he began to look a little vulnerable going to the last.

In the certain knowledge that Alderwood (had made what appeared to be a modest pace) would keep finding for him, Tony McCoy kept asking for more and his mount got there in the closing stages to win by half a length. Simenon ran well to be the best of the Willie Mullins trio in third.

This success was a significant one for Alderwood's owner, J P McManus as he extended his lead to be champion owner, over Trifolium's owner, Gigginstown House Stud.

Tony McCoy said: "It's easy to ride a horse that has got a will to win like him. He's gotten confidence from winning and I knew he'd stay going.

"He has great heart, great will to win, which is a big help as the ground is hard work – testing."

Tom Mullins, trainer of Alderwood, said: "Cheltenham and Fairyhouse were brilliant and now this – it's out of this world. I'm thrilled for the girl that looks after him. A Grade 1 is a Grade 1 and it's fantastic to win one at Punchestown.

"We would have settled for third turning in and I said at that stage that we'd gone one step too far by coming here. We didn't really have anything to lose though and he is obviously a real tough sort.

"Fair dues to him, he fought it out from the last and Tony felt at that stage that the other horse (Trifolium) was coming back to him.

"The plan remains to go chasing next season with him." (GC & EM)