Drama Unfolds on Day Three of the Punchestown Festival

I woke up this morning to find glorious sunshine streaming through the gap in my curtains, so thought yes, time to bare the legs. Who would’ve thought the weather in Dundalk would be such a contrast to that of the weather in Co.Kildare.

As I crossed the counties the clouds became more and more ominous and pulling up to Punchestown in a car turned out to be a bad idea, a boat would’ve moved better. But with fantastic Grade 1 action to look forward to, I wasn’t going to let the cold conditions get in the way.

The day got off to an exciting start as our very own Simon Clare arrived as an owner rather than a PR man. His horse Noizic was in great hands under the talented Katie Walsh but sadly the race proved too tough for him. Keep your eyes peeled for the 12-year-old’s next appearance as he’s a trooper on his day.

The mouth-watering clash that everyone was waiting for, the World Series Hurdle, turned into devastation for Solwhit fans, as the Charles Byrne-trained champion was forced to withdraw after suffering a nose bleed. Luckily, Coral came to the rescue by refunding all ante-post bets on him.

Despite not being the battle we were all waiting to see, it was still thrilling to witness wonder mare Quevega in action and landing her fourth consecutive World Series Hurdle in stunning fashion. Roll on Cheltenham, where we can hopefully see her claim yet another Mares Hurdle.