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Punchestown 2024
Punchestown 2024
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- Hayes doubles up on Bunyan's Never Seen Before
Mark Nunan
Hayes doubles up on Bunyan's Never Seen Before
Never Seen Before and Chris Hayes (near side) win
from Stop On Red
© Photo Healy Racing
One of three handicap debutants in the field, Never Seen Before (14s into 11/1) came home strongly from mid-division to complete a quick double for Chris Hayes in the Crowne Plaza Hotel Dundalk 3-y-o Handicap.
Off his opening mark of 64, the gelded son of Epaulette defeated the 11/4 favourite Stop On Red by half a length with Ben Asker (4/1) a further length and a quarter away in third.
Winning trainer Darren Bunyan, in whose colours the winner ran, commented: "He’s a horse that is going to win plenty of races around here and on the grass.
“That’s his first handicap today. He needed to learn to race and a couple of his runs he either over-raced or he was behind the bit.
"The penny is after dropping with him today and I thought Chris was magic on him.
“Like all mine he’s for sale and hopefully he’ll be bought to stay with me.”
Additional reporting by Alan Magee