Kargese secures Champion Hurdle win at Punchestown
Karegse produced a perfectly timed finish to win the Champion Four Year Old Hurdle at Punchestown on Saturday.
Paul Townend rode the Wiilie Mullins-trained 9-4 favourite to a length-and-a-half victory from Bottler'secret (5-2), with Nurburgring (5-1) in third.
It extended Mullins' record number of Grade One wins in a season to 39.
Kargese still had four horses to pass approaching the final flight but a swift jump at that obstacle meant she landed with more momentum than the other contenders.
She won at the Dublin Racing Festival in February before finishing second in the Triumph at Cheltenham and again at Aintree.
"She’s very tough. She was really hard on herself in Aintree, so that was a tremendous performance to come back and win here," said Mullins, who had already struck with Lossiemouth earlier in the day.
"To see where she was turning from home, Paul certainly got his fractions right there and got the jump right at the last."
