Martin Brassil’s Fastorslow caused a huge shock in the Ladbrokes Punchestown Gold Cup.
Beaten by subsequent Grand National winner Corach Rambler in a handicap at the Cheltenham Festival, he was sent off a 20-1 chance against Gold Cup one-two Galopin Des Champs and Bravemansgame.
It was Paul Nicholls’ Bravemansgame who attempted to make all and after seeing off first Envoi Allen and then Galopin Des Champs, Harry Cobden’s mount appeared to hold all the aces.
However, it was the JJ Slevin-ridden Fastorslow – who at one point seemed outpaced – that came with a storming late run to take top honours, with the Willie Mullins-trained Galopin Des Champs rallying to claim second from Bravemansgame right on the line.
Fastorslow (20-1), who finished second to subsequent Grand National winner Corach Rambler in the Ultima at Cheltenham, shocks the big guns in the Ladbrokes Punchestown Gold Cup on just his fifth start over fences. pic.twitter.com/y4r2hOkCqo
— RTÉ Racing (@RTEracing)
Galopin Des Champs was the first of the big two to look beaten on the run to the final fence, and when Bravemansgame got in tight it allowed Fastorslow to close up.
Before Cheltenham connections had expressed doubts about Fastorslow’s ability to see out an extended three miles, but he stayed on stoutly to win by two and a quarter lengths.
Brassil said: “He was going to be carrying top weight in a lot of those handicaps so we just felt we might as well dip our toe in the water and see how much we find.
“There were only five runners and the first two in the betting had hard races in the Gold Cup. If there was a bit of a chink in the armour I thought we could hopefully exploit that. I didn’t think we’d win, but I thought we wouldn’t be far away.
“JJ is a cool customer, he took the shortest way around and the horse jumped well, everything fell into place.
“We were hoping the step up in trip would bring improvement, his pedigree suggests that he stays well. The first time trying it was in Cheltenham and I’d say that race might have brought him on.
“We were delving into new company, top-notch company, but you have to try these things – there is no point dreaming about them.
“There’ll be no point entering him in a handicap again now. He ran his heart out and just got chinned a couple of times so to come here at a local track and win a Grade One is great.
“We won’t have to do much planning now as we’ll be running in the good races.”
Slevin said: “It was a great performance from Martin and everyone getting him here in this shape. It was a bold call to run him here, but it paid off.
“It shows what you need to win a Cheltenham handicap, time and time again that proves to be the case. Corach Rambler is a hardy horse.
“We were riding him to run well, Bravemansgame and Galopin Des Champs were always going to sneak away.
“Martin always had a lot of faith in the horse, he’s some trainer isn’t he?”
Of Bravemansgame, Cobden said: “I had the most fantastic ride and he jumped great but I’m fuming I didn’t wing the last fence, I got in very deep and lost two lengths as well as momentum. After that the best horse has won, but if I’d have winged that fence it would have been a different story, I’m sure of it.
“It’s not the ground you lose jumping, it’s the momentum on landing as he pecked and the other horse came by me.
“I might have a different thought on watching back, but my initial thought is if I’d met it better I would have been a lot closer.”
Meanwhile, A Dream To Share proved beyond any doubt he is the best bumper horse in training with a tenacious victory in the Race & Stay At Punchestown Champion I.N.H. Flat Race.
Not only was he following up his Cheltenham Festival success, he was completing a five-timer in the process, almost unheard of in the bumper sphere.
It was Willie Mullins’ Tullyhill who made the winner pull out all the stops on this occasion, with the Cheveley Park Stud-owned five-year-old taking a big step forward from his sole win at Gowran.
Winning machine A Dream To Share (8-11F) adds the Grade One Race & Stay At Punchestown Champion INH Flat Race to an unbeaten record that now extends to five races. pic.twitter.com/aEtOghx7fn
— RTÉ Racing (@RTEracing)
Patrick Mullins travelled into the home straight seemingly going much better than his teenage contemporary John Gleeson, who was hard at work on the odds-on favourite.
The two got close together inside the final furlong, but A Dream To Share (8-11), trained by the veteran John Kiely, showed he had guts to go with his undoubted ability, and once on top he forged three and three-quarter lengths clear.
It was just the third time in 11 years Mullins had not won the premier bumper at the Punchestown Festival.
Gleeson said: “I can’t believe it, I’m very, very lucky to be honest.
“He’s a very, very special horse and I’m very lucky to be riding him.
“I thought when Jody (Townend on It’s For Me) went along the outside, we got racing plenty early and I was just trying to bide my time. You can get sucked in there a bit early around that bend to get racing.
“He’s so straightforward, he has so much class. It just wows me. He’s such an honest horse, he gives you 110% every morning, even on the gallop. He tries his heart out for you and he had to dig deep today.
“I thought he was even more impressive today to show that toughness.”
Kiely said: “He’s an amazing horse to keep his form for so long.
“He had to dig deep at the end, I think Patrick’s horse is a very decent horse. John was against a strong man and did well for his age.
“The races all came at a distance apart, they were timed that we were able to work it. The space between Dublin, Cheltenham, and now suited us.
“JP (McManus) was a great man to go out and buy him, but he bought a nice horse.
“He’s a great battler, he battles well and that’s a big plus. I couldn’t have had him better and I was delighted with him coming here.”
He went on: “He had jumped before we thought anything of him, but since he showed us something we were minding him. From here on now I’d say he’ll learn to jump.
“I’ll keep going for another while but very soon my nephew Tommy is going to join me on the licence.
“He’ll take over and do long journeys and I can sit back and watch. I’ll be around though for as long as I’m left.
“This horse is worth getting up for in the morning, but checking his legs is a worry every day!”
Earlier, Gaelic Warrior landed the first Grade One of his career in the Irish Mirror Novice Hurdle – and it looks unlikely to be his last.
Stepped up to three miles for the first time, the Willie Mullins-trained five-year-old proved in a different league to his rivals, strolling to a 10-length victory under Paul Townend as the 4-5 favourite.
Last second finishing second to stablemate Impaire Et Passe in the Ballymore at Cheltenham, earlier in the season he had won one a highly-competitive handicap over two miles at the Dublin Racing Festival.
The Willie Mullins-trained Gaelic Warrior (4-5F) wins the Grade One Irish Mirror Novice Hurdle at Punchestown under a cool waiting ride from Paul Townend. pic.twitter.com/jWhttTirVG
— RTÉ Racing (@RTEracing)
Gordon Elliott’s Favori De Champdou had ensured the race was run at a true enough pace and approaching the second-last flight he was still in front with the Mouse Morris-trained Franciscan Rock and Noel Meade’s Affordale Fury ready to pounce.
Just in behind, though, was Townend who was sitting motionless and biding his time.
Gaelic Warrior hit the front on the run to the last and Townend only pushed him out with hands and heels to claim an easy victory.
His only two defeats since joining Mullins have come at the last two Cheltenham Festivals.
Betfair went 8-1 from 20s for next year’s Stayers’ Hurdle, while Paddy Power went 6-1 from 8s for the Turners Novices’ Chase.
“The trip was a big help to him. I was hoping the ground would be a help to him, but Paul thinks it wasn’t,” said Mullins.
“I think the trip was a lot of it and Paul was once again ice cool, sitting in behind a wall of horses waiting for the right gap to come and he produced him at the right time.
“He must come into staying hurdle territory now after that. He has the option of going chasing, but we’d have to have a good look at keeping him over hurdles. That looks to be his job there.
“We’ll get home and think about it but what I saw there, the way he improved going that extra trip, he looks to have the Stayers’ Hurdle written all over him.
“He does jump a bit right but those type of horses always settled the more racing they get, he’ll get the hang of it.”
Townend said: “When they rushed around me, they were committed at that stage so I was happy to see that happening.
“He settled like a dream and that was the key early on.
“Going that way is a huge help because you make him keen by trying to keep him straight.”
