Tune proves pitch perfect in Punchestown romp

Gary Carson
April 30, 2024 2:57 pm

Tom Lacey’s British raider ran out an emphatic winner of the Full Circle Series Final.

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 EURO 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 EURO 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.”