Tune In A Box struck an early blow for the raiding party on day one of the Punchestown Festival when providing trainer Tom Lacey with a first winner on Irish soil in the Blood-Stock.com Full Circle Series Final Handicap Hurdle.
The Herefordshire handler saddled three runners in the €80,000 contest, including the JP McManus-owned 9-2 favourite Montregard
But for a short-head defeat at Ffos Las on his penultimate start, Tune In A Box would have won his last four races in Britain – and while he was much bigger odds than his stablemate at 16-1, he ran out an emphatic eight-length winner in the hands of Richard Patrick. Quest With Speed filled the runner-up spot at 50-1, with Montregard half a length further back in third.
Lacey said: “I was watching Montregard throughout the race but I kept casting my eye back to Tune In A Box and I saw him travelling everywhere.
“I thought Montregard would close him down but he didn’t. I thought Montregard would be the horse to beat but Tune In A Box is a horse that keeps surprising us.
“It was a lad who does all my form work that highlighted the series to me. As soon as I read the conditions, I thought it was ideal for a few of those in the barn. We highlighted them and hit the qualifiers quite strong. We won two and were second in another.
“Where can you go for an €80,000 pot with those ratings? There are just not races for them for that prize fund, so it would be crazy not to target it.”
Just six days on from providing Willie Mullins with a first ever winner at Ludlow, Daddy Long Legs turned the Killashee Hotel Handicap Hurdle into a procession under Paul Townend.
The 16-5 favourite for his handicap debut, having competed in Grade One novice company earlier in the season, the five-year-old was travelling over his rivals turning for home and only had to be pushed out on the run-in to score by five lengths from Harry Derham’s British raider Brentford Hope.
“He showed a huge turn of foot. He was in front way too soon, but Paul said to me the horse just carried him and he didn’t want to disappoint him,” said Mullins.
“He’s a horse that could go back on the Flat and is maybe one for Royal Ascot. He’s still a maiden on the Flat, he’s only had one run when finishing second in France.
“I’d say he’s very ground dependent, in winter time in heavy ground he wasn’t able to handle it. On this ground, it seems to be a different ball game.”
Sermandzarak (10-1) made his experience count in the valuable Goffs Defender Bumper.
Gordon Elliott’s charge was one of the few runners in the field who had already had a run, having passed the post second before being awarded victory in the stewards’ room on his debut over the course and distance in February.
Ridden prominently from the off by Harry Swan, Sermandzarak was in front at the top of the home straight and found plenty for pressure to secure the top prize of €59,000 by a length and a quarter from the fast-finishing 50-1 newcomer Yeshil.
“He’s after growing an awful lot since he won the bumper the last day, although he didn’t actually win as he finished second,” said Elliott.
“He’s a big, weak horse that’s getting stronger the whole time. We were humming and hawing during the week whether to run him as he’s grown so much, but all the rest of my horses got balloted out of the race, so I had to run something.
“He’s a nice horse but he’s a horse for next year, when he’ll go jumping hurdles, all being well.”
Sixandahalf (14-1) looked an exciting prospect for Gavin Cromwell when sprinting clear late on to take the concluding Haier INH Flat Race by 11 lengths under Declan Lavery.
“I’d say there’s going to be a bright future with her,” said Lavery. “We quietly fancied her today, even though it was a good bumper, and she did the job very well.
“It’s a big advantage having had a run, just having that experience, because in a big field around here, it’s a bit tight and rough, but she was brilliant.
“She settled well and galloped all the way to the line. There’s not a whole lot of her, but she’s tough and she’s honest – and that’s all you need.”
