Busy Balnaslow gets Champion reward

After the Mullins domination of the Grade 1 action a former inmate at Closutton was the hero of the hour in the Star Best For Racing Coverage Champion Hunters Chase at Punchestown. Owned by the soon to be ninety-year-old Peggy Hagan, Balnaslow trumped English raider Mendip Express after a fantastic conclusion to the extended three miler.

Well-backed 13/8 favourite On The Fringe is just not the force of old and he had no more to give in the straight as the principals came to the fore.

It could have went either way from the last but at the line the Derek O'Connor ridden Balnaslow (5th at Cheltenham and 2nd at Aintree) was a neck up. They left Minella For Value twenty one lengths back in third.

Winning Graham McKeever said: "He's a tough bugger. He's unbelievable. He ran in Loughanmore in his younger days, and they are bred to be Spartans out of there. To go to Cheltenham and Aintree and run massive races and come back here, he deserved it.

"The man on his back never gave up. The horse has done it all, I can only bugger it up! He's a great horse to have in the yard.

"We bought him to have a runner in Cheltenham. A lot of people in the media have said he didn't stay but that's all he does. The plan is he'll go on to Stratford if he comes out of this okay.

"I have six horses riding out at the moment, two of them are good open horses. I think that's about my fifth winner on the track."

The Stewards received a report from the Clerk of the Scales, P.L. Malone, that Mr R. Kavanagh, rider of Dantes King had weighed in at 1.7lbs overweight. Evidence was heard from the rider concerned who stated that he had ridden at a lighter weight earlier but had a drink to rehydrate after weighing out for this race. Having considered the evidence, the Stewards were of the opinion that Mr R. Kavanagh was in breach of Rule 231 and having taken his previous record into consideration, suspended him for 2 racedays.

(AM & EM)