Willie Mullins dominated day two at Punchestown, completing a five-timer.
The Closutton trainer’s winners included the three Grade 1 races on the card.
Kaid D’Authie (9/4 favourite) and Mark Walsh was the first Mullins winner on Wednesday. The J.P. McManus-owned French-bred won the Louis Fitzgerald Hurdle by three and a half lengths.
Kaid D’Authie had pulled up on his most recent racetrack appearance, in the Grade 1 Turners’ Novices’ Hurdle at Cheltenham last month.
Three Grade 1 victories
In the first Grade 1 of the afternoon, Jasmin De Vaux (13/8 favourite) brought up the Closutton-handled double, and gave stable jockey Paul Townend his first winner of the 2025 Punchestown Festival.
The next Grade 1 on the card was a win for Townend’s sister, Jody, as Bambino Fever (11/8 favourite) completed the Cheltenham-Punchestown champion bumper double.
Galopin Des Champs (5/6 favourite) was most impressive – a 22 length winner – in the Ladbrokes Punchestown Gold Cup. The son of Timos was a fourth winner on the card for Team Mullins.
James Du Berlais (7/1) and J.J. Slevin completed the Willie Mullins five-timer with success in the Grade 3 Colm Quinn BMW Handicap Chase.
Crucial winner for John Shinnick
Glanworth, Co Cork jockey John Shinnick closed the gap in his quest for the conditional jockeys’ championship with success on 9/1 chance Thisistheway.
Owned and trained by the Lattas in Wexford, the daughter of Doyen was a length and a quarter victor over the fast finishing Littlefoot (80/1) and Conor Stone-Walsh.
The Tom Mullins-trained, Danny Mullins-ridden Coral River (6/1) was a further three lengths back in third.
Shinnick is now only one winner behind leader Tiernan Power Roche in his bid to succeed Danny Gilligan as champion conditional rider come Saturday afternoon.
British-trained winner
David Pipe continued the success of the British trainers as he won the Adare Manor Opportunity Series Final Handicap Hurdle with Thanksforthehelp (14/1).
Carrying the colours of the race sponsor, J.P. McManus, the Gavin Brouder-ridden eight-year-old grey came late to claim a two and a half-length success from race favourite Ballysax Hank (5/1), with a further three and a quarter lengths back to Stay Gold (20/1) in third.
The Declan Queally-trained and ridden Carrigmornaspruce (11/2) took the concluding Grade 3 Weatherbys GSB EBF (Mares) IMH Flat Race.
