Gordon Elliott has extended his lead over Willie Mullins to €276,780 in the trainers' championship after two Grade 1 wins on the second day of the Punchestown Festival.
On the opening day of the festival yesterday, Mullins made significant inroads into the lead that had stood at over €400,000, whittling the gap down to €261,905.
While Jessica Harrington won the feature race of the day, the Punchestown Gold Cup, Elliott roared back with wins in the other two Grade 1 races with Champagne Classic and Fayonagh.
Harrington got her day off to a flyer in the Martinstown Opportunity Series Final Handicap Hurdle when 11/1 Magic Of Light finished strongly to win by a head past pre-race favourite Blast of Koeman.
C'est Jersey dominated from the front when he led home a one-two for Willie Mullins in the Louis Fitzgerald Hotel Hurdle, the trainer’s only win on the day.
Battleford was the 6-4 favourite in the hands of Ruby Walsh, but, not for the first time, his jumping was far from foot-perfect.
C'est Jersey, on the other hand, hurdled fluently in the first-time blinkers and some strong galloping at the head of affairs put the pressure on his opponents.
Battleford got rolling in the straight, but C'est Jersey was away and gone and passed the post three and a half lengths to the good under Paul Townend.
Elliott landed his first blow of the day in the opening Grade 1 race, the Irish Daily Mirror Novice Hurdle, with Champagne Classic providing Elliott with a first Grade One victory of the Festival.
Monalee cut out much of the running, closely pursued by Tin Soldier, with Bryan Cooper just in behind aboard Champagne Classic.
Champagne Classic hit the front in the straight, but briefly looked a sitting duck when the patiently-ridden 2-1 favourite Penhill, winner of the Albert Bartlett at Cheltenham, loomed up under Ruby Walsh.
However, he was unable to get on terms with the victorious six-year-old, who winged the final flight to seal an important victory by two and a quarter lengths.
Penhill and Tin Soldier finished second and third for the Mullins team.
Sizing John won a thrilling Gold Cup to deny Mullins with Djakadam, while favourite Fayonagh comfortably followed up her Cheltenham Festival triumph with an all-the-way success in the Racing Post Champion INH Flat Race.
Coral Gold Cup - Watch the closing stages of the Punchestown Gold Cup as Sizing John got the better of Djakadam in a cracking renewal pic.twitter.com/L0HqtydIFZ
— RTÉ Racing (@RTEracing) April 26, 2017
Elliott's mare came from last to first to win the Champion Bumper last month, but Jamie Codd sent her straight to the front this time and she was always in control.
The heavily-backed 11-8 favourite kicked off the turn and came home five and a half lengths clear of Paloma Blue.
Mullins was left frustrated as 7/4 favourite Polidam languished in the Guinness Handicap Chase as trainer Colin Tizzard enjoyed a 1-2 with Sizing Granite and Viconte Du Noyer.
In the final race of the day, Jamie Codd squeezed ahead of Mystic Theatre on board Minutestomidnight to cement his lead in the champion amateur race.
