Carlingford Lough (second from right) as Road To Riches crashes out© Photo Healy Racing
< Carlingford Lough (12-1) sprung yet another surprise in the Bibby Financial Services Ireland Punchestown Gold Cup.< Road To Riches led and was still in front when taking an awful fall two out, leaving the Willie Mullins pair Djakadam and Don Poli at the head of affairs.
Hot favourite Cue Card was plugging on for pressure but, as he did when landing his second Irish Gold Cup at 20-1 back in February, Carlingford Lough finished best of all and stormed up the run-in to beat Djakadam by four and a half lengths, with Don Poli pipping Cue Card to third spot.< Bellshill atoned for his agonising Aintree defeat by landing the Irish Daily Mirror Novice Hurdle.
The 2-1 favourite faltered on the run-in and was collared by Ballyoptic in Liverpool, but he saw out the three miles properly here under Ruby Walsh, holding the renewed challenge of Coney Island to prevail by half a length.
The third Grade One on the card, the Attheraces.com Champion INH Flat Race, went the way of the resolute Blow By Blow
Having made the running, the 14-1 shot looked a sitting duck as the long-absent favourite Moon Racer loomed alongside, but he found plenty for Katie Walsh's urgings and flashed past the post three-parts of a length to the good.< Irish Cavalier (7-1) defied top weight to land the Guinness Handicap Chase.
Rebecca Curtis' raider travelled smoothly into contention under 5lb claimer Jonathan Moore and, taking it up approaching the last, kept going to see off Colms Dream by three and three-quarter lengths.
Jessie Harrington's excellent run of form shows no sign of abating and her Woodland Opera (9-2) recaptured his best to come out on top in the Louis Fitzgerald Hotel Hurdle.< Shamiran (16-1) landed the Martinstown Opportunity Series Final Handicap Hurdle for the third time, while Augusta Kate followed up Bellshill and Blow By Blow to complete a treble for Willie Mullins in the Weatherbys Ireland EBF Mares Flat Race.
