Punchestown Festival: Won Champion Hurdle for Lossiemouth Mullins

Lossiemouth sealed another great season by winning the Champion Hurdle at Punchettown on Friday.

The Willie Mullins-trained mare, a 2-7 favourite, was a comfortable winner of the two-mile Grade One race, finishing five lengths ahead of Golden Ace (11-1) at the finishing post.

Ridden by Paul Townend, Lossiemouth has now won four races from four starts at the County Kildare course and has 11 Grade One victories.

The gray scored a fourth Cheltenham Festival success in the Champion Hurdle at Prestbury Park last month.

Townend, meanwhile, is enjoying a purple patch, riding Gaelic Warrior to success in the Cheltenham Gold Cup in March and then I Maximus to victory in the Grand National in April.

“A brilliant season,” reflected winning jockey Townend, speaking to RTE after the race.

“I’m in the right camp to be on these very good horses – I’m very lucky,” he added.

Willful (16/1) finished third.

Earlier, the Mullins-Townend trainer-jockey combination paid dividends again as 8-13 favorite King Rasco Gray won the Champion Novice Hurdle by a head from Lord Byrne (7-1).

The winning horse held off a late challenge from the second-placed finisher, Kiely’s Place (10-1) in third.