Champoleon clears the last under Sean Flanagan© Photo Healy Racing
Champoleon (first time tongue strap) took the Charleville Cheese Maiden Hurdle under Sean Flanagan for Noel Meade.
The grey son of Turtle Bowl did in fact win over hurdles at Punchestown in May of 2015, but he was later disqualified after a prohibited substance was found in a urine sample.
He was off the track then for well over two years, only returning to action at Bellewstown last month where he finished a good fourth in the race won by Young Turk.
Sent off an 11/4 chance today, he was settled behind the leaders on the inner. He improved to lead after the third last and kept on well in the straight, despite a sloppy jump at the last, going on to score by three lengths. Antimatter (6/1) finished second under Ambrose McCurtin for Donnacha Duggan, while Matin D'Anjou (25s this morning and from 10s to 9s on-course) was another two and a quarter lengths back in third. Brave Poppy was sent off the 9/10 favourite and he finished a disappointing fifth with Mark Walsh in the saddle for Charles Byrnes.
Flanagan said afterwards: "He got a leg and I suppose he was unlucky to have had the race taken off him in 2015. He ran a blinder the last day and we thought he'd improve a good bit from it.
"He handled the ground a lot better than we thought he would and he galloped the whole way to the line."
Additional reporting by Thomas Weekes
