Townend works wonders on Magic McColgan
Magic Mccolgan and Paul Townend jump an early flight
© Photo Healy Racing
Six-time champion jockey Paul Townend juggled tricky Magic McColgan (11/8f) over the final obstacles of Punchestown’s Get Your Festival 2025 Tickets Mares Maiden Hurdle today, with the pair scoring in an unconventional manner.
Carrying Honeysuckle’s colours of owner Kenneth Alexander, Magic McColgan made all the running in today’s 10-runner race but the success was hard-fought as her technique became progressively worse, when jumping left, over the final four flights.
The six-year-old mare was clear when hanging left rounding the final bend and at the final hurdle veered violently to the stands’ side, almost unseating Townend, but ‘restarted’ on the run-in to score by 2.5 lengths from Miss Mini Bee
Successful trainer Willie Mullins supplied Townend with yesterday’s course treble with the 34-year-old reporting “Magic McColgan was leaning left throughout and gradually got worse. When I let her down in the last stride or two at the last, she jammed on, nearly turned around and I nearly fell off. She got going again though although I’ll be keeping company with her in future!
“At least she’s won and did things relatively right up to that. She’s a fine mare and has a good jump in her. I thought we went a good gallop and being a Flemensfirth mare she appreciated the slower ground and step up in trip.”
Quotes from Alan Magee