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Punchestown 2024
Punchestown 2024
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Review curragh 30th Jun
< Sea The Lion came out on top in a thrilling finish to the Irish Stallion Farms EBF 'Ragusa' Handicap at the Curragh.
Smart hurdler Riven Light was a warm order and the 6-5 favourite travelled strongly before challenging Act Of Valour for the lead a furlong and a half out.
Act Of Valour battled really hard, though, but Sea The Lion was just hitting top gear and forged between them to pip Act Of Valour by half a length, with Riven Light having to settle for third.
Jim Bolger landed the Silken Thomas & Lock 13 Handicap for the third successive year thanks to Clongowes
Just six days on from his breakthrough success in the Ulster Derby, the 5-2 favourite looked a sitting duck for much of the straight but showed tremendous resolution to flash past the post half a length to the good over Apparition < Happily was all the rage for the Westgrove Hotel Irish EBF Fillies Maiden and justified 8-11 favouritism with the minimum of fuss.
The full-sister to Gleneagles derived plenty of benefit from her Leopardstown introduction and stretched a length and three-quarters clear of Shalailah for Aidan and Donnacha O'Brien.< Casla was another to make it second-time lucky, improving from her fourth behind Auckland to account for Curly Girl by three lengths in the Chapman's Mitsubishi Irish EBF Maiden at odds of 6-1.
Her jockey Chris Hayes doubled up in the very next race as Enter The Red took the JOE.ie Handicap.
The 9-1 chance was never too far from the pace and Hayes eased him into the lead inside the final furlong before beating Sahreej by three-quarters of a length.< Zeftan (5-1) justified market support under Danny Sheehy in the Hackett Apprentice Derby, while the Ger Lyons-trained Cannonball landed odds of 10-11 in the Her.ie Irish EBF Maiden.