The Noel Meade trained Corbally Ghost put in an extraordinary performance to deny Willie Mullins a treble at Punchestown today, when winning the Ireland v England Stable Staff Soccer International Tonight Maiden Hurdle.

The son of Central Park, ridden by Paul Carberry, made the running and appeared to have shaken off Mullins’ Midnight Game approaching the final flight.

However a dramatic blunder at that final flight appeared to gift the race to Midnight Game, who was himself hampered in the incident. However Corbally Ghost recovered quickly and, in the manner of a good horse, soon found himself getting the better of the runner-up, eventually recording a half length win. The Stewards subsequently enquired into the interference at the final flight but left the result unchanged.

Afterwards Meade stated “you would have to be impressed with Corbally Ghost – he’s a lovely big horse and whatever he does over hurdles, he’ll be much better over fences.

“I took him to Lismore point to point to qualify him for the bumper at Fairyhouse but I don’t know what happened in that bumper – maybe the ground was too quick or else he was over the top. Everything has gone right since he came back in though and he is a gorgeous, big horse. I won’t run him again for at least a month and he jumped brilliant bar the last flight today.”