Absence of Cheltenham hero Premier Magic and Bradley Gibbs is a major loss for Punchestown

Disappointingly, this evening’s Champion Hunter Chase at Punchestown is a purely domestic affair after the Cheltenham winner Premier Magic was deemed ineligible on account of his trainer Bradley Gibbs not holding a licence issued by the BHA.

For many years there have been notable differences between the eligibility rules for hunter chases in the two jurisdictions. In 2011, Jeremy Scott's Gone To Lunch was beaten just over seven lengths into fourth behind Salsify at Punchestown, just weeks after finishing seventh in the Scottish National, incidentally splitting a Grade 1 winner Neptune Collonges and Cheltenham Festival scorer Chicago Grey.

It was notable that no Irish horse could have taken this route to Punchestown. Running in any non-hunter certified race under rules, never mind one as valuable as the Scottish National, would have made them ineligible. But the rules in Britain at the time allowed Gone To Lunch to retain his qualification for hunter chases and this was respected by the Irish authorities.