Punchestown report: Punchestown resounded to the sound of thrown away form books yesterday after the 25 to 1 raider Carlys Quest bounded home a clear winner of the Ballymore Properties Champion Stayers Hurdle.
For most punters the only previous common denominator between the words champion and Carlys Quest might have been the potential of Keith Mercer on his back.
Certainly a 20-race career over jumps had given no indication that the Ferdy Murphy-trained horse had any business taking on the likes of Solerina and Emotional Moment. But after his epic Scottish National triumph on Joes Edge it seems Mercer is developing a taste for big-race success.
The 23-year-old from Liverpool, who rode six winners in Ireland when apprenticed to Paddy Mullins, took full opportunity of a series of mishaps to the supposed principals to drive Carlys Quest to a nine-length defeat of Kadoun with Murphy's other runner, Basilea Star - also 25 to 1 - in third.
Strung out further back was Solerina who faded to fifth after setting a very fast pace on the soft ground and even further back was Emotional Moment who was pulled up four out. The highly regarded novice Our Ben only made it to the sixth when an appalling mistake knocked him out of the race.
"Very surprised," was Mercer's report and while Murphy could hardly say the same about the subsequent summons to the stewards' room for an explanation, there were few more surprised at the valuable success.
"I thought we might be fourth and fifth and we came over to get some euros and have some fun," explained Murphy who previously won the race with Paddy's Return in 1997.
"For two miles he was going nowhere. It was only in the last mile he got going. The fast pace and the soft ground really helped and Keith had said beforehand that once he got there he was going to keep kicking."
The stewards accepted the explanation and the Murphy-Mercer team received ample compensation for their earlier bad luck in the La Touche Cup over the banks course. "We really thought Luzcadou had a big chance and he goes and falls at a hurdle," said Murphy. Ultimately the La Touche went to Enda Bolger for the eighth year running as Good Step just edged out Shady Lad for a stable one-two.
"SpotThedifference couldn't run because of a muscle problem, but Good Step is as tough as teak and might be a horse for the Sporting Index at Cheltenham next year," said Bolger. "Shady Lad ran a great race and we'll aim at the Pardubicka with him."
The well-backed favourite Watson Lake looked all over the winner of the Swordlestown Cup until a mistake at the second last suddenly gave War Of Attrition a chink of light.
With the race sponsored by Cathal Ryan, son of Tony Ryan who started Ryanair, and War Of Attrition owned by the Ryanair boss Michael O'Leary, Conor O'Dwyer took full advantage to get up by a length close home.
"He is a horse to dream about over the summer and it's great to end the season on a high after all the problems he's had," said trainer Mouse Morris. "We will try him at three miles next season and if he gets it we can drive on."
Watson Lake's run perplexed Noel Meade who said later: "That's the third race he has stopped like that. Clearly something is stopping him and I'm beginning to wonder if his wind is catching him."
Akilak was the cross-channel raider supposed to continue the British dominance of the Colm McEvoy Champion Four-Year-Old Hurdle but the odds-on favourite could only struggle home third behind the clear winner United.
Kilcullen-born Leighton Aspell, partnering his first Punchestown winner, was riding for the Newmarket trainer Lucy Wadham who said the win "exceeded our wildest dreams".
Ladbrokes saw enough in the performance to make United a 40 to 1 shot for next year's Champion Hurdle.
It's been a real roller-coaster week for the Co Limerick trainer Charles Byrnes who was at the centre of a controversial bumper success at Cork on Sunday and yesterday he produced Gortinard to land a major gamble in the three-mile handicap hurdle.
With the intended rider Davy Russell sidelined for the day after a fall in the La Touche, Andrew McNamara stepped in and gave the winner an excellent drive to hold off Kings Advocate by a length.
The Noel Meade team hit the mark with No Half Session who justified favouritism in some style in the Tattersalls (Ire) Ltd Pat Taaffe Handicap Chase.
The champion trainer also had the well-backed favourite in the bumper, Ballyagran, but this one was run out of first by the Colman Sweeney-ridden Silent Oscar.
Bookmaker turnover at the Punchestown Festival broke the €3 million mark for the first time as punters wagered a course record €3,042,321 yesterday. It broke the previous mark of €2,857,292 set on Wednesday. A total of €506,028 was bet on the third race alone while €504,585 was generated by the Stayers Hurdle. Despite that a crowd of 17,456 was a 778 drop on the corresponding day last year. The Tote turnover was also down slightly to €985,773.
