Barry Geraghty guides Don’t Touch it to Grade One glory

Barry Geraghty admitted to having been "flattened" by the Noble Emperor controversy at the start of the month, and his subsequent successful appeal against a 30-day ban.

But the former champion jockey enjoyed a much happier time when the 16-1 Don't Touch It secured Grade One honours at Punchestown.

Yorkhill's odds-on flop in the Herald Champion Novice Hurdle left the way open for Geraghty to secure a fifth top-flight success this season, his first as retained jockey to owner JP McManus.

Don’t Touch It’s slow jump at the last allowed Yorkhill’s stable companion Petit Mouchoir to briefly rally past him but the winner rallied himself and was half a length too good at the line.

It was a first Grade One of the jumps season for trainer Jessica Harrington whose horses, both flat and jumps, are enjoying a purple patch at present and the two month gap since Don't Touch It's previous race left him a fresh horse for this.

“He was never going to Cheltenham, never going to Aintree and he missed the race we were looking at in Fairyhouse with a leg infection. But JP kindly allowed me run him in this and he has done him proud,” Harrington said.

A maiden

“This was a hell of a step up for a horse that had just won a maiden. But he jumped better out of this better ground compared to Naas where he got bogged down,” added the trainer who won the same race with the subsequent Champion Hurdle hero Jezki in 2013.

Yorkhill was in trouble even before he paddled over the second-last and Willie Mullins conceded that it looked "a race too far" for his Cheltenham and Liverpool winner."

It proved to be that kind of day for Mullins, with both Vautour and another favourite, Outlander, having to settle for second in their respective Grade One tests.

However if top-flight success is presumed for the sport's dominant trainer it was all a new experience for Co Meath-based Andy Lynch who saddled Zabana for a hugely popular victory in the Growise Novice Chase.

Denied the chance to tackle Cheltenham's JLT after unseating Davy Russell at the start, this time the partnership took the race by the scruff of the neck from the start. Only the loose Ballychorus briefly threatened to ruffle Russell's plan and the 7-2 chance was in control at the line.

“Cheltenham was a huge day for us and it didn’t work out so it’s great to come back and do this,” said owner Chris Jones while Russell reported the loose horse could ultimately have proved a help.

“I could see her coming and I decided to go right,” he said about a potentially critical incident coming out of the back-straight. “In fairness, once I turned into the straight it was a help having her in front of me.”

Gordon Elliott had gone three weeks without a winner prior to Tempo Mac springing a 25-1 surprise in the handicap hurdle. His stable companion, the 5-1 favourite, Automated, could finish only eighth.

Bit unlucky

“They’ve been running well, just been a bit unlucky,” said the Gold Cup winning trainer.

“I’d say the better the ground, the better he is. We could have a bit of fun on the flat. He looks well handicapped.”

Nicky Henderson's Jenkins started odds-on for the €100,000 Goffs Land Rover Bumper and looked all over a winner under Patrick Mullins when taking it up coming into the straight. However the 22-1 shot Coeur De Lion overhauled Jenkins in the final strides.

“It’s only recently we found out he’s a stayer, and horses that stay win races,” said the winner’s trainer Robert Tyner.

Racing opened with Wish Ye Didn’t landing the cross-country race for the second year running and Enda Bolger is already plotting a return for a hat-trick in 2017.

The only favourite to score was Cilaos Emery who showed an impressive gear change to cut through the bumper field before holding off Someday in the closing stages. “He’s obviously very smart and has lots of speed before his staying pedigree kicked in at the finish. I would imagine we will let him off now. He could be a winter horse,” said Willie Mullins.