Kargese win ends Mullins’ Grade One campaign on a high

Alan Magee
May 4, 2024 4:38 pm

Trainer registers a 39th top-level success of the season at Punchestown.

Willie Mullins extended his record haul of Grade One wins in a season to 39 after Kargese came with a flying finish to claim the Ballymore Champion Four Year Old Hurdle at Punchestown.

The Closutton maestro had already struck with Lossiemouth earlier on in the day and Paul Townend produced this 9-4 favourite with a perfectly-timed run to add another to the tally.

Kargese provided one of those elite-level victories at the Dublin Racing Festival in February, before finishing second in the Triumph at Cheltenham and again at Aintree.

He’s one cool cucumber, @PTownend 😎
Kargese – runner-up in the Triumph at Cheltenham and at Aintree – comes from last to first in the Ballymore Champion Four-Year-Old Hurdle @punchestownrace
An utterly deserved triumph for @WillieMullinsNH‘s and Kenny Alexander’s filly. pic.twitter.com/P4MCoPTm4T

— Racing TV (@RacingTV) May 4, 2024

She had pulled too hard early on during those runner-up efforts but settled much better under a confident ride from Townend on this occasion.

It seemed as though the jockey may have been a touch too patient when Kargese still had four horses to pass approaching the final flight.

However, a swift jump at that obstacle meant she landed with more momentum than the other contenders and Kargese came home a length and a half ahead of Bottler’secret.