Gordon Elliott won the bumper at Punchestown© Photo Healy Racing
Market principals Grangeclare Native (6/4) and Jungle Junction (5/4 fav) had a good tussle in the concluding Old House, Kill 4-y-o (Pro-Am) INH Flat Race with the former rallying close home to gain a half-length victory.
Plenty held chances turning for home, but when Finny Maguire produced the favourite to lead at the furlong pole it looked to be a race-winning move.
The Gigginstown-owned winner dug deep, though, for Lisa O’Neill and came back on the inside with a determined effort. It was another five and a half lengths back to The Sliding Rock (14/1), stable companion of the winner, in third place.
Denis Murphy won a point-to-point with Grangeclare Native at Curraghmore in April, before the Shantou gelding fetched 125,000 pounds at the Tattersalls Cheltenham sale later that month. He’s a half-brother to three winners including Christy Roches’s five-time winner Line Ball, and a full-brother to the Twiston-Davies’ current runner Rocco, who’s won over hurdles and fences for that yard.
“He’s a big baby and a horse for next year, said winning trainer Gordon Elliott.
"Two miles is probably as short as he wants and he was bought to be a chaser.
“He won’t do much more this season."
Reflecting on Hardline s fine second-place finish at 25/1 in the John Durkan Chase behind Min Elliott said: “Hardline ran a good race and if he was to run the race again he probably would have held onto him a bit longer. He probably doesn’t get the credit he deserves — he's a Grade One winner.
“He might go for the Kinloch Brae at Thurles.”
Additional reporting by Alan Magee
