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Punchestown 2024
Punchestown 2024
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- Atlas finds his way back to the Peak
Atlas finds his way back to the Peak
Atlas Peak and Conor Hoban got up to beat Sterling Cooper
© Photo Healy Racing
The big Bolger and Halford outfits may have been expected to dominate division one of the Crowne Plaza Leading Jockey & Trainer Handicap with the well-fancied joint market-leaders, Mea Parvitas and Confident Cub but they had to settle for third and fourth behind John Carr's 20/1 shot Atlas Peak
Philip Rothwell 's Sterling Cooper made a bold bid on the pace here and that son of Selkirk looked like he'd hold on until very late in the day.
However anyone of that view hadn't bargained on the strength of Conor Hoban aboard Atlas Peak (competing off just 47 now after being much higher previously) and he came home strongly to get up and triumph by half a length.
Christy Mulvaney from Navan is one of the successful Coleman Country Syndicate and he explained: "There are eight of us in it and most of us are Navan-based.
"If he's in good humour it's hard to beat him (Atlas Peak now has four wins to his name). I expected him to run well. He had hard luck on his last run here.
"He had a bad draw and got a bit of a bang then." (MG & EM)