Search
Punchestown 2024
Punchestown 2024
- irishracing.com
- Punchestown
- News
- Mullins & Connell double up in the last
Donal Murphy
Mullins & Connell double up in the last
Ballychorus is driven out by Katie Walsh to beat Fort Smith
© Photo Healy Racing
Mags Mullins and Barry Connell completed a first and last race double at Killarney, as Ballychorus took the finale, the Killarney Racegoers (Ladies) INH Flat Race, under Katie Walsh.
The five-year-old daughter of King's Theatre, who has been mixing it between bumpers and maiden hurdles, was sent off the 7/2 second favourite.
Having led from flag fall, she was pressed two furlongs out by Fort Smith but once Katie Walsh got serious aboard the bay victor, she picked up again, keeping on well close home to score by four and a half lengths.
Fort Smith kept on to take second at 6/1 under Lisa O'Neill for Gordon Elliott, while newcomer Liss Ui Riain (12/1) was a further three parts of a length back in third under Shelia Ahern for John Kiely. The Herds Garden was sent off the 6/4 favourite under Nina Carberry for Noel Meade, but he could only manage a disappointing sixth.
Mags Mullins said afterwards: "She had a lovely couple of runs during the winter but then I left her down as I thought she was immature. She was June foal.
"She will be nice to go over hurdles, but I'll have to talk to Barry about what she does next."
The winner is a half-sister to three time Grade One winner Follow The Plan, who won the Punchestown Gold Cup in 2011, before springing a 50/1 surprise in the Betfred Bowl at Aintree the following year.
Additional reporting by Thomas Weekes