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Mullins & Elliott do battle in P'town undercard

American TomAmerican Tom
© Photo Healy Racing

The Grade 1 E85,000 John Durkan Memorial Punchestown Chase dwarfs the other races on Punchestown’s Sunday card but the supporting six races are each notable in their own right and will play some part in the battle, between Willie Mullins and Gordon Elliott, to be Champion Trainer.

The six supporting races each contain at least one runners from either the Mullins or Elliott super-stables and begins with the Ladies Free Admission On New Years Eve Rated Novice Hurdle, where the Henry De Bromhead trained Lion In His Heart might be able to gain compensation following a fall at Navan a fortnight ago. He looked a contender for a placing when falling at the second last then and today faces seven rivals with Elliott’s Sanibel Island a possible danger under a feather weight.

Mullins and Elliott do battle in the next with, respectively, Turcagua and Champagne Classic and while there may be little between the pair, Turcagua has the benefit of a recent good hurdles run. Smart flat performer Toe The Line herself will benefit from a recent Wexford hurdles debut and can play a leading part.

Mullins’ American Tom, which has Grade 1 entries over Christmas, bids to overcome a year long layoff in the Alan Lillingston Memorial Beginners Chase while the concluding bumper sees the well regarded Joseph O’Brien trained, J.P McManus owned Aeglos take on 13 rivals, including the Mullins trained newcomer Come To Me and the Elliott trained Burren Life, an unlucky final fence loser of his only point to point start last year.

Elsewhere the Follow Us On Facebook And Twitter Handicap Hurdle has no Mullins runner and Elliott runs just Dawerann, fourth at Clonmel on Thursday, in a race where the Oliver McKiernan trained Lucky In Milan makes his seasonal reappearance and bids to win his fourth race in five starts.

By Tom Weekes