Anthony Honeyball on the mark at Punchestown yet again

Trainer has an impressive strike-rate at the Festival.

Anthony Honeyball made another successful raid on the Punchestown Festival when Kilbeg King finished with plenty of gusto to land the Conway Piling Handicap Hurdle.

The Dorset-based handler has a stellar record when sending travellers to the Kildare track, winning with Sully D’Oc AA in 2021, before saddling Lilith to strike 12 months ago and he was on the mark with his first runner at the meeting this time around.

There was EURO 29,500 on offer to the winner in this fiercely competitive three-mile hurdle, but there was never any doubt the prize-money was heading home with the Potwell Farm handler once Aidan Coleman forced his way to the front, the duo pulling four-and-a-half-lengths clear of the runner-up Lets Go Champ.

Honeyball was thrilled to add to his tally at Punchestown and said: “We’ve been very lucky here. We brought him here nice and early, he got here on Monday.

“We weren’t sure if he was good enough but we felt that he’d run his race.

“Aidan gave him an absolute peach. He had to scrap a bit to get him out and once he got out he cut loose.

“He had quite a hard race at Newbury when finishing second and we thought we’d wait then until Punchestown. We love coming here and it’s a 0-145.

Kilbeg King and connections after winning the Conway Piling Handicap Hurdle
Kilbeg King and connections after winning the Conway Piling Handicap Hurdle (PA)

“It’s worked out well. We got him fresh and they have been very good to us here and we had a few canters on the course. It does horses good after a long season.

“I think the better ground was probably a help as well although he’s a heavy topped horse and it wouldn’t want to be any quicker than this.”

There was no joy however for Lilith in the defence of her Close Brothers Irish EBF Mares Handicap Chase crown, with the eight-year-old well held in third.

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