Connell hoping to return William Munny for Punchestown Owner/trainer Barry Connell is hoping to return William Munny to action at the Punchestown festival later this season, as the seven-year-old recovers following a muscle tear. Placed third in the Grade 1 Punchestown Champion Bumper in May 2024, William Munny won a Listed hurdle race by 15 lengths last February before concluding his season with a runner-up effort to Kopek Des Bordes in the Supreme Novices' Hurdle at Cheltenham. Connell had hoped to plot a route back to Cheltenham for the Champion Hurdle this term, but injury has scuppered plans. Connell reports “He’s nearly sound. I’d say he’s 95% sound and is back hand walking again, but we have missed six weeks. “What we are hoping is, if everything goes to plan, that we might get him back for a run in Punchestown which would be good, so he won’t be starting from scratch next year. “He’s only had a handful of runs, so it’s a shame to have missed this year, but these things happen. “It was a muscle tear in his hindquarters; it was nothing structural so he will be 100%.”
