Finegan pulls the strings on Puppet Master The opener at Kilbeggan was the Curragh To Curragh Charity Cycle On 29th August Maiden Hurdle over two miles and it was won by Puppet Master (5/1). Winner of last year's Lingfield Derby Trial for Aidan O'Brien, the Camelot gelding was a close second to 5/4 favourite Kimi De Mai approaching the last where a mistake by the latter proved crucial to the outcome. Eoghan Finegan, in the colours of Jodmart Construction, seized his opportunity on the winner who went on to secure victory by half a length. "He’s a horse that we gave a good few quid for (£78,000) in the autumn and he wasn’t really working out, we had a few issues with him along the way,” said winning trainer Ciaran Murphy. “He was well dropped in class today. He jumped really well and travelled lovely. “I’m not sure how much more was left in the tank, but he’s getting confidence and he got the job done. It’s lovely to get it here at Kilbeggan. “He’ll mix it away, he was bought to be a dual-purpose horse. “Hopefully he’ll build from that and get confidence. Maybe he’s going to be a nicer horse next spring. We’ll have to give him a chance now. “As I said, it wasn’t a straightforward road with him, but with the help of a big team we are getting this lad right and it’s rewarding.” Murphy saddled a treble at the last Kilbeggan meeting, with two of those winners partnered by 5lb claimer Finegan. Additional reporting by Gary Carson
