Karl Burke’s Fallen Angel tops a field of 16 for the Qipco 1000 Guineas Stakes at Newmarket on Sunday.
It was all change in the betting on the Irish jump jockeys' title after day three of the Punchestown festival and Jack Kennedy is now long odds-on to be crowned champion for the first time on Saturday.
Teahupoo confirmed himself to be the leading 3m hurdler in training when adding to his Cheltenham success with an even more impressive performance to win the featured Ladbrokes Champion Stayers Hurdle on the third day of Punchestown.
Il Etait Temps made it third time lucky on his latest meeting with stablemate Gaelic Warrior when proving too strong for the Arkle Chase winner in the Grade 1 Barberstown Castle Novice Chase at Punchestown.
Singing Banjo belied his advancing years when battling back bravely on the run-in to register a second success in the Mongey Communications La Touche Cup Cross Country Chase at Punchestown.
The British National Hunt season went out with a bang on Saturday at Sandown when Willie Mullins was crowned Champion British Trainer for the very first time.
His end of season assault on the British tracks was nothing short of epic with 36 runners at 6 different tracks in little over a week yielding 9 victories, including the Scottish Grand National, bet365 Gold Cup and the Grade Two Select Hurdle to seal the title.
My Racing StorySponsored By Tote
I'm from a place called Eadestown, just outside Naas, beside Punchestown racecourse. I had a pony when I was younger at home and I was kind of mad for a bit of speed! I got into Michael Halford's when I was 12 or 13. I rode out there on my school holidays and weekends for five years before I left school. There were some brilliant lads in Michael Halford's at the time like Sean Corby, who rode as an apprentice for a while, Shane Foley was stable jockey and Conor Hoban was apprentice there. You can see from Michael Halford's track record, he had some brilliant apprentices over the years including Gary Carroll. It was a great place to learn and I learned plenty. I was still very weak and green and I wasn't quite sure whether I was going to be good enough to be a jockey but, in fairness, it was the route for me. I had a crack at college in Carlow, but I didn't enjoy that - I only lasted about three weeks! I missed the horses a lot.
Punchestown and Guineas preview with Donn McClean
Emma Nagle is joined by Donn McClean to preview the final days of the Punchestown Festival and the Guineas at Newmarket
By Michael Graham - ITS ON THE LINE is taken to repeat last year's victory. He has put together a very solid portfolio of work this season in finishing a close second at Cheltenham and then delivering at Aintree. He is ground versatile and, as a seven-year-old, there should be more to come from him in this discipline. A bad mistake at the last saw Famous Clermont drop to second in his comeback run at Wincanton. He has form in the book to advertise his chance, though. Lifetime Ambition won well in Cork while Boss Robin is an upwardly-mobile sort. Ferns Lock is classy, but has just lost a bit of form.
