Juvenile double puts O'Callaghan in a good position for autumn campaign

Tuesday: Punchestown

Punchestown raised the curtain for the 2022-23 season with what is becoming its traditional sole Flat meeting of the year, and Curragh trainer Michael O'Callaghan struck by landing both juvenile maidens on the card.

As is O'Callaghan's modus operandi, both were breeze-up purchases. Gozen, a daughter of Kuroshio, was well touted before the opening fillies' maiden, looking the part in the parade ring, and despite doing most things wrong in the race she got up on the line under Leigh Roche to see off favourite Basil Martini by a short head.

O'Callaghan said: "She's a lovely filly, we thought plenty of her at home, and on her work at home I've no doubt that she is a stakes filly.

"She is a big filly and anything she does this year is a bonus. She did a lot of things wrong, but she hit the line hard and took a bit of pulling up. She will improve a lot."

O'Callaghan and Roche completed their opening doubles when Rothko was perhaps a more surprising winner of the following mile maiden. Again, he did his best work late and got up close home to deny the front-running Intellotto by a head.

"We got him at the same breeze-up at which we bought Gozen," said the winning trainer. "He's a fine big horse and has improved all year, and he saw out the mile well. Things did not go ideally for him, but he still had the ability to go and win. I think he's a good horse."

3,442-1 treble for Roche

Leigh Roche had further success later on the card, completing a 3,442-1 treble when landing the first division of the concluding 1m1f handicap on 50-1 shot Our Dickie, trained by Claire O'Connell.

"If I win the last I think I'll retire," joked Roche afterwards.

For trainer O'Connell, whose father Al trained Classical Charm to finish second to Celtic Shot in the 1988 Champion Hurdle, it was a first success on the Flat and her first winner on the track for seven years. She trains a four-horse string from her base near Ashbourne.

New ground for Oliver

Despite having trained plenty of jumpers at the start of his career, Andy Oliver had never set foot in the number-one spot at Punchestown. The closest he probably came was the one start he trained Josses Hill, a subsequent Grade 2-winning chaser for Nicky Henderson, when he was second in a bumper here in May 2013 – to Faugheen no less.

Band Width and Declan McDonogh (right) ensure it's a first Punchestown winner for trainer Andy OliverCredit: Patrick McCann

That anomaly was fixed here, however, when the consistent Band Width gained his third victory of the season when landing the 1m handicap in the hands of Declan McDonogh.

Oliver said: "We were fairly confident he would get the mile and I thought he won snug enough. We have options now as he can handle most ground except very heavy. He could go to Dundalk, but I think we can get him into some nice handicaps on turf in the last couple of months of the season."

Results, replays and analysis

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