Cheltenham Festival success may have eluded him when third in the Champion Chase but Chacun Pour Soi still did enough to be crowned the best chaser in Britain and Ireland in this year’s Anglo-Irish Jumps Classification.
Willie Mullins’ nine-year-old won four of his five starts and bounced back to his prime when delivering a career-best performance to land the William Hill Champion Chase at Punchestown, earning a mark of 176.
Henry de Bromhead’s Gold Cup hero Minella Indo was a close second on 175 with stablemate A Plus Tard a further 3lbs behind, while Mullins’ dual blue riband winner Al Boum Photo is rated 170 after his historic hat-trick bid failed at the Cotswolds.
The Irish dominated once again with Mullins’ runaway Ryanair Chase winner Allaho earning himself a mark of 174, while Clan Des Obeaux is the highest-rated British-based horse on 172 after Paul Nicholls’ charge prevailed in a thrilling Punchestown Gold Cup.
Nicky Henderson’s Shishkin and Mullins’ Energumene – both unbeaten over fences last season – lead the novice-chase category on 169 as they prepare to go up against their elders next season, in what should be a cracking two-mile division.
De Bromhead’s Champion Hurdle heroine Honeysuckle is out in front over hurdles with a rating of 165, a pound clear of a trio of fellow Irish-trained steeds with Sharjah, Stayers’ Hurdle winner Flooring Porter and Klassical Dream, each rated 164.
Mullins’ Supreme Novices’ Hurdle winner Appreciate It (160) and De Bromhead’s Bob Olinger (159), which dominated the Ballymore at Cheltenham, head the novice hurdling division, while Nicholls’ Aintree Grade One winner Monmiral (153) is rated as the season’s best juvenile hurdler.
Meanwhile, Michael Browne’s exciting speedster Logo Hunter is the star attraction at Cork today, where he tackles the Listed Midsummer Sprint Stakes (2.20). A 5,000 guineas purchase last autumn, the Brazen Beau gelding is expected to back up his recent Listed success, but he may be given plenty to think about by Ger Lyons’ Frenetic, which is already a three-time winner at this level.
The €50,000 Group Three Munster Oaks (3.30) is also up for grabs with Paddy Twomey’s Moll primed to prevail under Billy Lee after her course-and-distance victory in April.
Meanwhile, Dermot McLoughlin picked up another surprise National victory with The Echo Boy (20/1) landing the Connacht version in Roscommon.
The Meath trainer memorably saddled Freewheelin Dylan to plunder the Irish Grand National at Fairyhouse in April at odds of 150/1 and The Echo Boy provided him with another notable success yesterday when scoring by two lengths under Paddy O’Hanlon.
“Paddy felt turning in that he had plenty of horse, he saved and saved a bit, and when he went for him he obviously stayed at it. He jumped well and it was great,” he said.