Gamble on Dermot Weld's Passenger foiled as Fatal Flaw keeps up Jonathan Sweeney's fine run

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All eyes on day one of the two-day fixture, which brings down the curtain on Punchestown's season, were on the Dermot Weld newcomer Passenger, backed from 12-1 first show to 9-4 favourite in the bumper. 

Weld has been known to introduce a good horse in a bumper at this venue. Forgotten Rules bolted up in one at the 2014 festival meeting here before winning the Group 2 Long Distance Cup at Ascot and finishing third in the Gold Cup at the royal meeting the following year.

Passenger was not up to that standard this time, however. His effort faded in the last furlong under Finny Maguire as he finished sixth behind the twice-raced Fatal Flaw, ridden by Derek O'Connor for in-form Cork trainer Jonathan Sweeney. 

He had been runner-up in a bumper at Ballinrobe a month earlier but was a different proposition here as he picked up and stayed on well to hold off Base Of Fire by two lengths, with the Willie Mullins-trained Chart Topper another two and a quarter lengths away. 

Sweeney said: "He's a nice horse and did that well. It looked a nice race on paper, a 20-runner bumper around Punchestown. Derek was good on him. We discussed it beforehand and I left it up to him whether he would go on or sit behind. We'll get over today and see where we go."

Marronstown recompense for Christie

Punchestown was a much happier hunting ground for Fermanagh trainer David Christie than it had been 12 months earlier, as the previously frustrating Marronstown finally put it all together under Alex Harvey in the 3m½f handicap chase.

In this race a year ago, the Christie-trained Menindee looked certain to win when coming down at the final fence, but there were no such misfortune this time as Marronstown galloped clear on the run to the final fence to win by a convincing eight lengths from Land Jet and Thehairyfella.

He had promised much but delivered comparatively little before this and Christie said: "I think the penny is just dropping with him. He stays very well. We had only tried him on good ground once before because he handles soft ground so well, so it is nice to see him do that on good ground today, and he jumped really well."

"He's a strange horse in his head and he has been very slow to mature. But he has put three good runs together now, which is the first time he has done that. I actually thought we were in front too soon because he can stop, but the big galloping track probably helped him too. We'll keep going and hopefully we can win a bigger pot with him."

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