Trainer Robert Murphy celebrated a famous big-race victory as Darrens Hope produced a brave front-running performance in the Liam & Valerie Brennan Florida Pearl Novice Chase at Punchestown.
Although a capable performer at her best, the eight-year-old mare was below par when last seen at Limerick and as a result was a 20-1 shot for this Grade Two assignment over an extended two and a quarter miles.
But she answered every call in front for Danny Mullins, and while hard pushed by Minella Crooner refused to buckle and won the day by a head, in a race that was reduced in terms of a jumping test with the fences down the back taken out due to low sun.
"I've been milking cows all my life and I’ve always had a love for horses. I’m lucky to have a good mare like her." Bob Murphy, trainer, owner and breeder of Grade 2 winner Darrens Hope at #Punchestown https://t.co/93WUKjiiqh pic.twitter.com/0IgOoWmuzB
— RTÉ Racing (@RTEracing) November 20, 2022
"That's mighty, it’s the best win she’s ever had. We knew that she was in great form," Murphy, who also owns and bred the winner, told RTÉ Sport.
"She has to be out in front, if she’s in behind she doesn’t want to know anything about it.
"I’ve been milking cows all my life and I’ve always had a love for horses. Since I was a child I loved horses and I’m lucky to have a good mare like her.
"Her mother was a great mare, but she’s every bit as good as her and I’m wicked lucky to have her.
"It was great to be able to come up today and run in a Grade Two, for me to breed her and train her at home. I ride her out every morning.
"She’s a great mare to eat and we don’t be too hard on her. When she’s fit, she’s fit."
Darrens Hope was a surprise winner of the Novice Chase at #Punchestown pic.twitter.com/GHXk40u4DG
— RTÉ Racing (@RTEracing) November 20, 2022
The winner holds an entry in the Troytown at Navan next weekend, and Murphy added: "We don’t know if she’ll run. We’ll see how she is after this."
The disappointment was favourite Idas Boy, who was pulled up some way out.
Cheltenham Festival winner and Grand National third Delta Work made a winning return to action.
Sent off the 4-6 favourite for the Pigsback.com Risk Of Thunder Chase over the banks course, the Gordon Elliott-trained nine-year-old – who denied esteemed former stablemate Tiger Roll a fairytale send-off at Cheltenham in March – had to work hard for victory, as he dug deep to hold the rallying Singing Banjo having taken over after the last.
"Jack (Kennedy) said it took him a while to get going, he said he was very sticky early until he got down over the double down the bottom," said Elliott.
"It's a bit trickier here than it is in Cheltenham. It’s hard to place a horse like him now so we said we’d see how he took to this. It’s job done.
"The runner-up is good around here and those horses are real specialists around here.
"He kind of pulled up from the last home, he pricked his ears and didn’t do much.
"He used to wear cheekpieces over fences and I wouldn’t be surprised if they were back on him again at some stage.
"We try to do different things with him at home, we take him away to a lot of different places to school him.
"He’s very good around Cheltenham, but he still has a bit to learn over the banks here.
"Jack was happy, so if he’s happy I’m happy."
Looking to future plans, Elliott said: "He’ll probably have one run between now and Cheltenham all being well.
"There is a race in January in Cheltenham for him or he could maybe run in the Boyne Hurdle. We probably wouldn’t be here, only it was called off there (Cheltenham cross-country chase in November) last time because of the ground."
Daryl Jacob's visit to Kildare on Sunday was rewarded with a taking victory aboard Nusret in the John Lynch Carpets 3-Y-O Hurdle.
A Curragh maiden winner who was sixth in the Melrose at York in the summer, the Joseph O’Brien-trained three-year-old is now a good looking jumps prospect for owners Simon Munir and Isaac Souede.
He quickened up nicely in the closing stages to readily account for Morning Soldier by six lengths, and his rider feels the 5-2 winner has a bright future.
"I sat on him in Joseph’s as a two-year-old and I said when I got to the top that he would make a fine jumper. Little did I know he was going to end up going jumping," said Jacob.
"He’s always shown a nice attitude to schooling, I’ve schooled him a couple of times at Joseph’s.
"When he won at the Curragh I really liked him and thought it was a really good performance. I thought he could be quite nice over hurdles.
"I’m sure they’ll have a nice race in mind for him now, there are a couple of good races over here at Christmas time.
"It was a nice performance, there were some nice horses in that race today. He’s done it very nicely, travelled around great and jumped great."
Noel Meade and Bryan Cooper teamed up to good effect with Farceur Du Large (11-1) in the Ryans Cleaning Handicap Chase.
"Bryan is riding well and he’s been very lucky for me over the years. He’s a very good rider and it’s great to have him on your side," said Meade.
"We bought him as a two-year-old in France and he’s taken a while. He’s a bit lazy as you can see in his races.
"He was going well in Galway and he made a very bad mistake at the third-last on very heavy ground and it knocked the bottom out of him. He still ran a very good race that day and I quietly fancied him each-way today.
"I would think he’ll probably run in the Paddy Power at Christmas, I’d imagine that will be his next port of call."
Willie Mullins has Cheltenham in mind for Shewearsitwell, who could go straight to the Festival after her win under Paul Townend in the Pertemps Network Group Handicap Hurdle.
"I don't think the mare helped Paul at all in the first mile, she got herself out of the race," said Mullins of his 8-1 scorer.
"Paul said he tried to get her back interested again and get her on an even keel. He took a chance coming through the inside and it worked, but he had to take that chance to get through.
"She was a great help to him from the second-last hurdle, over the last, and she just really put down her head in the last 50 yards. I didn’t think with 100 yards to run she’d get back up, but she was very brave when push came to shove.
"She stays well and I’d imagine now that she’s qualified we’ll have to have the final as our main aim for the season.
"We’ll have a look at what her likely weight would be in it. It’s very seldom I have a runner in that race and I don’t feel any need to run her again before it."
