Former Champion Jockey Paul Townend completed a double at Navan today when steering the Steve Mahon trained Champagne Harmony to a comfortable win in the Follow Navan On Twitter Beginners Chase.

Townend, earlier successful on the Stuart Crawford trained Our Valentina moved Champagne Harmony clear of his rivals on the run-in before scoring a six and a half lengths win over Crest

Afterwards an impressed Mahon stated “he's a good ground horse in spite of him winning his bumper in Cork on heavy - that probably tore him a bit that day and he just didn't seem to be the same horse afterwards. He jumped right today but Paul (Townend) said that was just the ground.”

He added “my long-term plan with him was the Galway Plate but obviously he'll have to progress to that. Denis O'Regan (jockey) said that he's the ideal type of horse for that, the way he jumps.

“Hopefully down the road Galway is where we'll go - I know there is more to come from him.”

By Tom Weekes, quotes from Gary Carson