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Punchestown 2024
Punchestown 2024
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Michael Graham
Tilly's Chilli burns off the opposition
Tilly's Chilli, right, delivers the knockout blow
© Photo Healy Racing
Tilly's Chilli powered home for Colm O'Donoghue for a last-gasp victory in the extended mile and three handicap in Limerick for horses rated 45-75.
She made relentless headway in the final furlong to tackle Epitaph (8/1) close home and get up by a head to justify 4/1 favouritism.
There was a length and a quarter gap back to third-placed Freedom Chimes (12/1).
Trainer Jessica Harrington said: "It's lovely for her to win and she had a nice run at Leopardstown. She was carrying enough weight today for a little filly but Colm was always going to get there.
"She'll get there and will win another handicap like that - she needs to go up to 1m4f and maybe run her in a better class race with a low weight."
Colm O'Donoghue added: "To be fair she would have been unlucky. I had to run through to follow Ana (O'Brien, on Inescapable but I didn't have the pace to follow her through so I had to come around them. She stuck at it well.
"She's only a light-framed filly carrying 9st6 (in Leopardstown)/9st 9 (today). It's a long way up that straight so I just wanted to have a lead for as long as I could and we didn't go over mad. She stays well and is very genuine and did well on that surface."
Additional reporting by Thomas Weekes