Da Capo Glory (nearest) collars Ash Tree Meadow © Photo Healy Racing
The 1/1 favourite Da Capo Glory got up on the line to land the Oak Lodge Landscapes At Punchestown Hurdle. Ash Tree Meadow travelled sweetly on the front end for most of the way but Danny Gilligan had to get busy on him approaching the last as Da Capo Glory and Jeff Kidder closed. The latter got the final flight all wrong and lost his rider but Mike O’Connor got a good tune out of his mount on the run-in to score by a neck.
Winning trainer Padraig Butler trains the six-year-old for the Red Strand Syndicate.
“He's a lovely horse, that's his third win. He was my first winner after getting the licence so he's flying the flag for us,” said Butler.
“It was a brilliant ride by Mike today, he was a good substitute. Darragh Allen had ridden him in all his races before today but he's an amateur so he couldn't ride today.
“He has a few flat spots in his races but he stays very well. He's a well-bred, his dam is a full-sister to God's Own. He has a bit of pace and a bit of guts about him and we're delighted with him.
“We'll see how he comes out of it and we might have a look at the Grimes Hurdle in Tipperary.”
Quotes from Gary Carson
