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Punchestown 2024
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- Review tipperary 24th May
Review tipperary 24th May
John Oxx heads into Guineas weekend in excellent form after Hartani further highlighted his string's current wellbeing with a gritty all-the-way success at Tipperary.
Sent off the well-backed 11-8 favourite for the Follow @Tipperary On Twitter Race on the back of a maiden win over the same mile-and-a-half course earlier in the month, Johnny Murtagh soon had his mount in the box seat at the head of affairs.
The dangers appeared to be stacking up on the turn for home and Montebell emerged as the most likely threat passing the furlong marker, but Hartani kept finding for pressure and dug deep to score by a length and a half.
Murtagh immediately followed up on Andrew Heffernan's newcomer Zoola in the Irish Stallion Farms European Breeders Fund Median Auction Maiden.
Although considered one of the outsiders of the six-runner field earlier in the day, the Iffraaj filly was heavily supported into 6-1 by the off and she showed real professionalism throughout the five-furlong heat, bursting from the gate and displaying excellent early speed.
Fellow debutant Rose Garden made her move around two furlongs out but she could not match the winner, who drew three lengths clear with Murtagh just keeping her up to her work.
Ronan Whelan gave Queen Grace (10-1) an enterprising ride up the centre of the track to land the Follow Tipperary On Facebook Handicap.
The apprentice rider had little option having been drawn out in 17 and his mount did exceptionally well to score by three parts of a lengths given the second and third, Judies Child and Faleena battled it out on the rail having come from stalls seven and three respectively.
Mick Halford's Sharp And Smart left it late when justifying 7-2 favouritism in the Kilfeacle Stud 'Portrait Gallery' Handicap, while the p2p.ie Mares Point-To-Point INH Flat Race went the way of Thomas Cummins' Millie Le Bach ridden by Declan Lavery.