Coko Beach and Ben Harvey at the last© Photo Healy Racing
Gigginstown House Stud rolled back the years today, as Coko Beach led home a 1-2-3 for both owner Michael O'Leary and trainer Gordon Elliott, in Punchestown's featured €90,000 QuinnBet National Trial.
O'Leary has greatly reduced his horse numbers in recent years but had the five top-weighted runners for today's 3m4f marathon, with no reserves for the 12-runner race.
Strong-travelling 15/8 favourite Angels Dawn was the unlucky loser in the race, having blundered Cian Qurike out of the saddle at the third-last, by which point Coko Beach was with the leaders.
Coko Beach, winner of the 2021 Thyestes Chase, led before the last and stayed well to well to beat stablemates and Gigginstown-owned pair Death Duty and Defi Bleu
It was winning jockey Ben Harvey's first success for both Elliott and Gigginstown and afterwards the trainer said “we said we'd ride Coko Beach a little more restrained today, just take our time more as we've been making a lot of use of him lately.
“I thought he ran a good race, he jumped well and he (Harvey) said when he got to the front he didn't do a stroke and gave the last a big jump.”
He added “there's not much at Cheltenham for him and I'd imagine they'll (Coko Beach, Death Duty and Defi Bleu) all be heading towards the Nationals - English and Irish.
“The winner runs his race all the time and is a grand horse. He finished eighth in the National last year and was right there until the third last.
“Death Duty ran well, he (jockey Michael O'Sullivan) said he would have been bang there only for missing the fourth and third last. He's a good horse but he's not easy to train.”
Quotes from Gary Carson
