Going - Good to Yielding, yielding in places X-country Good To Firm, firm in places. Fine
Placepot Pool - 54,825.72 Dividend - 1,379.50 Winning Units - 27.82. Quadpot Pool - 6,888.68 Dividend - 15.90 Winning Units - 319.27. Days Aggregate - 197,888.00 Last Year
Donoghue delivers despite 'twists and turns'
I got an unbelievable kick out of that. I can't believe it, he hasn't won a race for four years. All the drama the other day and all the effing and blinding that went with it - I'm in shock!. racing is so funny with the twists and turns. Myself and Keith were at loggerheads with each other on Thursday but we're back today and he gave the horse an absolute genius of a ride. He's a horse that struggles to keep going sometimes when he comes off the bridle. Fair play to Keith as it was a masterclass of a ride and I'm over the moon to win the banks race. He battled and jumped brilliant. I won it as an amateur for Ted and this fella has been a great servant to us. He's 11-years of age and has won six races now, we have him since he was three. I didn't think he'd win another race, I thought he was coming to the end of his tether. I can't believe it and it's the best kick I've got in a long time. It's like a drug and you couldn't bottle it.
Fogpatches delivers for Fahy cousins
He ran a cracker in Scotland and we were delighted with him. He's only seven so will go out into the field now with his brother Stormy Judge. My cousin Joe Fahy owns him, he bought the mother and we've been lucky enough to get him and Stormy Judge. I'd love to go to Galway but Danny (Mullins) said he wouldn't have the pace for the Plate. He's a stayer and we'll aim for the staying races next season. Hopefully him and the brother could be National horses next year. Stormy Judge will go on bottomless but this horse can't because he has a different action. It's great to have two brothers and you don't mind which way the ground is because you're going to have one of them ready. History Of Fashion, that ran in the Red Mills final, is another who is going to be some staying chaser, so maybe I could have three horses in a National!
Stormy Ireland wins Mares Champion Hurdle
she appears to have improved from Fairyhouse and it's a great day for Danny and a nice double for him. That mare surprised me, how much she has come on from that. We'll keep her in training, I don't think she's going to go to the breeding shed this year as she looks to have plenty left in the tank. I'm having second thoughts now about going chasing with her and maybe we could go back to the Flat with her. She's by Motivator and it might be a safer career option than going chasing. I don't think she's going to improver her pedigree by getting black-type over fences, she has enough over hurdles. If she could do something on the Flat that would be better for her.
Kidder triumphs in Champion Juvenile
it's been a lonely old week up until now! . I said Willie (Mullins) has been the easiest man to find in Punchestown, as he's been in the winners' enclosure all week and to be fair he was the first one to congratulate me. I'm delighted, absolutely thrilled. I said in Fairyhouse if he ever jumps them all he'll be a real good horse and he jumped brilliantly today. He's just never stopped improving and since he came back from Cheltenham he's like a film star in the yard. The girls take him off to the beach for a dip and I think he's liking every minute of it. I had two going to Cheltenham, him and Beacon Edge, and I said to Sean you could have two winners as you've two great chances. A real fast gallop really suits him, like they went in the Fred Winter and as they did there. They were coming back to him and his jumping was fantastic. He's going to have a little break although I suppose he's so well you'd think to yourself you should keep going. He'll certainly have a run on the Flat, he's never going to be a chaser. Now that he's won that he's going to have to stay with the big fellas now, that's his last chance to run in a four-year-old race, so he'll have to wait until the back end to have a go again.
Mullins hails brave ride on Brahma Bull
Brian is a great chase jockey and comes into his own over fences. I'm very happy to put him up. He's a very brave horse and it was a brave ride and the horse just keeps producing. We're very happy to get another winner for Susannah Ricci. That's eight wins from 16 runs for the horse and Brian (Hayes) thought he didn't stay in the Irish National and the better ground was a huge help to him today. hopefully we can get owners back and then after that crowds back to inject a lot of atmosphere that is missing at the moment. We've had a fantastic festival, it's great to have the support of the owners that we have and without them none of us could keep going at Closutton. They are the whole part of the team really with the investment they put in every year.
Mullins - 'I threw the whole lot at Punchestown'
I said I'd throw the whole lot at it, which we did, and it seems to have paid off. I think we might have to take him off the for sale list, he's entered in Doncaster. Ricky produced him lovely. I said to him that I wouldn't have backed you turning for home but he said 'no I was going well, I just wanted to keep tight but when I gave him daylight he just took off'. He's a horse that has come back from injury and he's won two this year so we're very pleased with him.
Fry on the mark with Pure Bliss
Gambled Carrarea wins Punchestown's finale
that's a lovely way to finish the season and it'll keep the landlord (George Mullins) happy. He's a real nice horse and he's only just coming to himself in the last few weeks. I had Patrick trying to persuade me to wait until next week to run him in a four-year-old only. He did a very good bit of work at home on Tuesday, we had him entered and he got a run so I felt we had to take our chance. He was very green in front and I think there should be plenty more improvement to come with him.