G1 and G3 Punchestown bumper wins for Flemensfirth

Flemensfirth stole the show on day two of the 2018 Punchestown Festival with a pair of Graded bumper winners who looked stars of the future for trainer Willie Mullins.

First up was Tornado Flyer (5g Flemensfirth-Mucho Macabi, by Exceed And Excel), who had won on debut at Fairyhouse in January before finishing a close third to another Flemensfirth, his stablemate Relegate (5m Flemensfirth-Last Of The Bunch, by Silver Patriarch), in the G1 Champion Bumper at Cheltenham.

On Wednesday, Richie Deegan produced Tornado Flyer with a well-timed run to win a G1 himself in the G1 Racing Post Champion INH Flat Race, to the delight of Mullins.

“Tornado Flyer barely won his first race but he was so keen I felt there was huge improvement in him and he ran a cracker in Cheltenham,” said Mullins. “Richie was very good today and bided his time. He knew he was going to finish in the money, so he waited until he was in sight of the winning post and then produced him.”

Deegan added: “I can't thank Patrick (Mullins), especially, Willie and the owners enough for giving me the chance. It's great. I went in on Sunday morning to have a sit on Tornado Flyer. I live with Patrick and he mentioned last week that they might have one for me. I rode this lad Sunday morning and was kind of thinking that I would like him to be the one.

"When he turned into the straight, he kept finding and finding. He got a gap up the middle and won well in the end. He's a great horse.”

Meanwhlle, Coolreevy (5m Flemensfirth-Poetics Girl, by Saddlers' Hall) - home-bred by Niall Flynn and family - justified 7/4 favouritism to land the concluding G3 Weatherbys GSB Irish EBF Mares Flat Race with a runaway win.