It was a case of deja vu all over again at Punchestown on Thursday when Teahupoo beat Asterion Forlonge to lift the Ladbrokes Champion Stayers Hurdle.
It proved to be the same one-two in the €300,000 highlight as last year with Gordon Elliott’s 5-4 favourite once more proving a decisive winner from his grey rival.
It was a first winner of the week for Elliott, and it completed the set of festival Grade One Stayers prizes for owner Brian Acheson.
Bob Olinger proved too strong for Teahupoo at Cheltenham in the Stayers Hurdle while Hiddenvalley Lake took the honours at Aintree for Acheson’s Robcour operation in the same division.
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If last season was spotless for Teahupoo, this was a deserved first top-flight prize of the current campaign for Teahupoo.
Filling in for the injured Jack Kennedy, Sam Ewing always looked comfortable through a race in which Rocky’s Diamond cut out much of the running. Much of the field were still in contention two out but Teahupoo’s quality came to the fore when it counted.
“I travelled deadly everywhere, jumped deadly and just got out at the right time and I knew he’d stay at it,” Ewing said. “He’s just a great stayer and brilliant to win on him. He’s probably unlucky to be beaten twice this year but he’s really stamping his authority as a top stayer.”
Having once again filled the thankless role of finishing runner up to Willie Mullins in the trainer’s championship, it was nevertheless an eighth Grade One victory of the current campaign for Elliott. He has had 157 winners overall in Ireland but struck only once at Cheltenham.
“I was dreaming last night if Teahupoo could win today, and Meath could win the Leinster Final, it would finish off what has been a rough season to be a great season!” Elliott commented. “This horse has got me out of trouble a few times and he’s done it again. He’s a star of a horse.”
Mullins reached 200 domestic winners this season in Thursday’s other Grade One, the Barberstown Castle Novice Chase, when Majborough atoned for his Arkle defeat at Cheltenham by landing cramped 4-11 odds.
Despite ultimately winning with authority by 14 lengths from Only By Night, Majborough again gave an impression of being a work in progress.
If jumping blunders left him down at Cheltenham, this time he persistently jumped to his left.
“He has some engine. He always jumps a little bit left but it’s the first time he’s went that badly left going right-handed,” jockey Mark Walsh admitted. “If you could just iron them out he has some ability, some engine.”
Mullins’s initial reaction was to point towards next season’s Queen Mother Champion Chase with the former Triumph Hurdle winner.
“He goes a bit to his left but that’s his quirk. I won’t mind that, and he measures his fences and didn’t make any real mistakes today.
“Mark wasn’t hard on him over the last two, I thought just getting from A to B and he did that all right. Considering his age and how much he can mature over the next few years, he could be a real, top-class chaser in time. He’s got such a stride and when he’s long at a fence he can just take it in his stride, to me that’s a huge asset; he has huge scope,” Mullins said.
Earlier, Grade One-winning jockey Jody McGarvey almost had a fairy-tale finish to his career only for the well-backed Mirazur West to fade to third behind another JP McManus owned hope, Petit Tonnerre, in the Listed handicap chase.
The Co Derry rider, 34, announced his retirement immediately afterwards following a career that produced 173 winners.
The tally includes four Grade One successes beginning with Great Field at the 2017 Punchestown festival. McGarvey also landed the 2023 Drinmore on I Am Maximus and there was a top-flight double on the same day at Fairyhouse in 2021 through Janidil and Skyace.
Cousins Joseph O’Brien and JJ Slevin combined for a double through Busselton in the La Touche and the 33/1 shot Cottesloe Sunshine in the Mares Hurdle. Slevin matched his father Shay who trained the 2017 La Touche winner Treo Eile.
“I’ve been watching these races for as long as I can remember and it’s special to win it,” the rider said.
Petit Tonnerre was the first of three cross-channel winners on the card. James Bowen warmed up for his date with Constitution Hill in Friday’s feature by landing the Listed handicap hurdle on Jeriko Du Reponet.
Bowen’s brother, Sean, took the opener on Tony Martin’s Putapoundinthejar. The horse was the last winner ridden by the late Michael O’Sullivan at Down Royal in January.
The British notched a one-two in the concluding bumper. El Cairos threw away his chance by hanging badly left in the closing stages, opening the door for Alan King’s Baron Noir to score.
Thursday’s official attendance of 20,228 was up almost 2,000 on last year’s figure of 18,289.
