Mousey Brown (nearest) © Photo Healy Racing
The Full Circle Series At Punchestown Festival 2024 Qualifier Novice Handicap Hurdle was reminiscent of a Grand National in days of yore with loose horses everywhere in the home straight as Mousey Brown asserted after the last to record a 25/1 success.
Two horses departed at the fourth flight of hurdles, a further two at the sixth where the winner was badly hampered by the fall of stablemate Barry Lyndon and three more went at the third-last.
In the colours of Alan Smith, the daughter of Califet was ridden out after the last to beat Billy Lee Swagger by three parts of a length.
Winning trainer Dermot McLoughlin said: "Barry Lyndon fell independently and hampered this mare and then there was the carnage at the third last. Bumper cars there!
"Incident-packed race, but she is a tough mare to come from all that carnage. She kept going well and she missed the second last to add to the woe as well, but he just said to me she finished out the race well.
"She's a hardy mare - she's game and tough.
"A lot of mine all winter don't want that real heavy ground. We were sitting waiting to get a bit of nicer ground. The lads said after the first race that the ground wasn't too bad, so we took our chance.
"That was the idea (to get qualified for the final in Punchestown), I think there is only one more (qualifier) during the week in Cork. It was nice to get that one in today."
Quotes from Michael Graham
