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Punchestown 2024
Punchestown 2024
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- Review naas 26th Mar
Review naas 26th Mar
Ger Lyons completed a double on the opening day of the Flat turf season at Naas when Brendan Brackan landed the Tote Irish Lincolnshire.
The 16-1 chance burst into the lead over a furlong out under Gary Carroll and was always holding Aussie Valentine from then on, scoring by a length and a half, with fellow Lyons inmate Sea Wolf in third.
Colin Keane was in the plate for Lyons' first winner, as Gymkhana (12-1) produced a strong turn of foot to land the Naas Racecourse Launches The 2017 Flat Season Handicap.
A full 25 years on from his debut ride at this track, Graham Lee landed the feature race as Czabo took the Lodge Park Stud EBF Park Express Stakes.
Never too far off the pace under Lee, Mick Channon's 8-1 chance pulled alongside favourite Somehow entering the final furlong.
The fitness gained from Czabo's recent effort in France proved decisive, as she kept on best to land the spoils by half a length.
The first big gamble of the turf season was thwarted in the opening Irish Stallion Farms EBF Maiden, as heavily-backed favourite Royal Diplomat was cut down by Moonlight Bay
Kevin Prendergast's 4-1 chance travelled sweetly under Chris Hayes, and picked up the 6-4 market leader, who had been backed in from 5-2, in the final furlong to win going away by two and a half lengths.
Hayes made it a double when giving Fozzy Stack a first winner as a trainer in the Palmerston House Madrid Handicap courtesy of Gino Severini (8-1).
Another gamble went awry in the Weatherbys GSB Goes Online Maiden as the well-supported Ma Fee Heela had to settle for a distant second behind Aidan O'Brien's Alphabet
Anastasia O'Brien pushed the 7-1 chance into the lead around halfway and never looked back, coming home five and a half lengths to the good.
Aidan and Anastasia O'Brien had an even more emphatic winner when Orderofthegarter (11-4) won the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Maiden by 11 lengths.