In the world of horse racing, the familiar saying ‘horses for courses’ holds, and nowhere is this more evident than in Fastorslow’s affinity for Punchestown. Despite repeated confrontations with his long-time competitor, Galopin Des Champs, Fastorslow emerged victorious yet again in the Ladbrokes Gold Cup held on Wednesday, marking his second consecutive victory.
This triumph marks another highlight in Martin Brassil’s star horse’s career, having remarkably upset the odds with a stunning defeat of his Cheltenham Gold Cup-winning rival at odds of 20-1 the previous year. The €300,000 festival headliner also saw Fastorslow, priced at 7-2, outclass his illustrious opponent by a margin of 1¼ length. Just seven weeks ago, his rival had, in fact, secured successive victories at the Cheltenham Gold Cup.
A past episode had seen Slevin’s memorable fall from Fastorslow at the 16th barrier in the ‘Blue Riband’, an intense race on soggy terrain which saw Galopin Des Champs recording a triumphant feat at Dublin Racing Festival in February. However, returning to Punchestown, Fastorslow made a stylish recovery, taking control of the race.
Fastorslow swiftly overtook the 1-2 favourite and displayed impressive jumping prowess behind the erratic leader, Conflated. Meanwhile, Galopin Des Champs suffered from inconsistent jumps, resulting in jockey Paul Townend sending warning signals from three out.
Yet one should not ignore the doggedness exhibited by ‘Galopin’, given his relentless pursuit of Fastorslow, narrowing the lead up until the finish. However, it was Fastorslow’s authority and finesse that ultimately stole the show, reflecting the true calibre of this racing talent at his favourite track.
Townend expressed his disappointment over Fastorslow’s track performance, despite his earlier success with Dancing City at Grade One. Even though it was his lone victory in jack Kennedy’s jockeys’ title race, Slewin seemed both vindicated and victorious.
After the unseating incident at Cheltenham, Slewin faced a whirlwind of criticism. However, his response was exemplary. With a fruitful start to April, Intense Raffles achieved a win at the Irish National and Slewin landed another significant triumph on Banbridge merely a day before. Fastorslow’s win, nonetheless, provided a sense of redemption.
Commenting on the earlier Cheltenham incident, Slewin said, “Today serves to mitigate the Cheltenham incident. I generally try to not dwell on it too much.” He reminisced about how the horse hurdled the fence, only for his head to vanish and Slewin found himself on the ground shortly after.
In the head-to-head competition between Fastorslow and Galopin Des Champs, the score is now level at 3-3 with all of Fastorslow’s wins occurring at Punchestown. Despite an up-and-coming batch of novices making their presence felt, this pair still sets the gold standard among the staying chasers heading into the upcoming season.
“Fastorslow is indeed a force of nature, easily the best horse I’ve had the pleasure of riding. Initially, he was over enthusiastic for the first mile and that concerned me. He’d a brush with the first fence down the backstretch and slipped from my grip, but he’s undeniably a powerhouse,” stated Slewin.
Reflecting on the journey back from Cheltenham, Slevin said, “It was a long ride back, but at the end it’s merely a horse race and one needs to move past it. There are people coping with worse situations.”
Concluding a hectic season, Willie Mullins gave due credit to Galopin Des Champs’ efforts and said: “Fastorslow is typically at his best this time of the year and at this track. JJ rode him bravely. He didn’t hesitate and seized control of the race, and it worked in his favour. Our horse put in a respectable performance and was gaining ground towards the end. Although Paul attempted to control the race, it eventually overpowered him. Forcing a horse into a leading position is pointless, and I believe his jumping capability wasn’t up to par either.”
On a notable day for siblings Paul and Jody Townend, both clinched Grade One victories under the guidance of Mullins. Redemption Day, the oldest contestant in the Grade One Champion Bumper, surpassed many expectations, including those of his stablemate, the Cheltenham victor, Jasmin De Vaux.
The favoured choice, Jasmin De Vaux, quickly lost momentum as the race evolved into a strategic contest run at a slower pace. This potentially could have spelled trouble for Redemption Day, an equine known for his previously tempestuous nature. However, the seven-year-old, who was lined up for his seventh bumper event, finally seemed to respond as he reined into the back of the group under Jody Townend.
Marking his debut in Christmas 2021, he was second to Facile Vega in the 2022 race. The choice to retain this comparatively mature horse for bumpers substantially paid off, making a sweeping victory across the field and giving Townend her premier top-tier triumph. He is a horse with an incredible pace, commented Townend, comparing his burst of speed to a Flat racehorse.
Henry de Bromhead achieved two victories via Gorgeous Tom and Lets Go Champ. The end of the festival’s second day stirred some controversy as Familiar Dreams barely clung onto the Grade Three bumper despite noticeably veering left throughout the straight and obstructing runner-up Mozzies Sister.
Despite a near finish, stewards disregarded the hindrance and did not intervene with the winning position. Additionally, if Jack Kennedy keeps his lead over Paul Townend for the jockeys’ championship, he will be subject to a 16-day suspension by the Punchestown stewards, owing to his breach of whip rules on Stellar Story during the Channor Champion Novice Hurdle.
Kennedy, who currently leads Townend by 122-117 ahead of Saturday’s season finale, received his fourth penalty for whip regulation breaches. On Tuesday, he was suspended for eight days due to breaking whip rules on Firefox. The official attendance at the Punchestown festival on Wednesday hit 21,652, a significant increase from last year’s similar day figure of 20,354.