Jade De Grugy proves too good for Brighterdaysahead t Punchestown
The Closutton handler had saddled eight of the last 10 winners of the Grade One contest and having finished best of the rest behind esteemed stablemate Lossiemouth in the Mares' Hurdle at Cheltenham in March, Jade De Grugy was even-money to add to his tally.
Jade De Grugy wins the Grade 1 Mares Champion Hurdle under Paul Townend. Watch the final day of the #PunchestownFestival now on @rteone & @rteplayer #RTEsport pic.twitter.com/MMgYU1p9Mw
— RTÉ Sport (@RTEsport) May 3, 2025
After initially being settled in third place by Paul Townend, the six-year-old was allowed to stride on in front heading out for the second circuit, a move which was covered by her main rival Brighterdaysahead, who was bidding to bounce back from a disappointing run in the Champion Hurdle.
The big two were clear of the chasing pack rounding the home turn and Jade De Grugy always looked to be going the better, pulling further ahead in the straight to score by six and a half lengths. A tiring Brighterdaysahead was eventually beaten to the runner-up spot by the winner's stablemate Gala Marceau.
Mullins said of the winner: "She's a mare that's been improving all year. Nicer ground was a big help and tactically Paul was brilliant.
"Brighterdaysahead probably just had a very hard race at Christmas and she never really recovered from it.
"We're delighted to be able to win a Grade One with a filly like this and I'd say we'll probably train her for the Mares' Hurdle again next year."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
RTÉ News
34 minutes ago
- RTÉ News
Listen: Tipperary players react to Liam MacCarthy glory
Rhys Shelly, Conor Stakelum, Andrew Ormond and Sam O'Farrell got out of their beds early to join RTÉ Sport's Marty Morrissey to reflect on Sunday's stunning All-Ireland final win over Cork. The quartet were speaking on RTÉ Radio 1's Morning Ireland.
RTÉ News
13 hours ago
- RTÉ News
Teenage kicks for Darragh McCarthy as nightmare turns into a dream
With 12 minutes to go in the All-Ireland semi-final, it looked like Darragh McCarthy's debut year was going to end on a scarring note. Sent off for the second time in the championship, after missing two scoreable frees, he watched on from the sidelines as his 14 team-mates came from behind against Kilkenny and tears of relief flowed at the finish. Retained in the starting line-up by manager Liam Cahill for the final against Cork today, the youngster scored 1-13 of his triumphant Tipperary side's total of 3-27 as they stormed back in the second half to win by 15 points. "It's all a mind game, really. If you let it get to you, you're going to be curled up in a ball at home in bed." the 19-year-old told RTÉ Sport in the aftermath of winning his first senior medal. "[Tipperary performance coach] Cathal Sheridan, our man, played a big part in that. I went in for a few chats to try sort the head out. You have to steel the mind and just forget about it. "[My team-mates] are the best in the world. What they've done for me the last 12 months, and even after the first sending off against Cork, I'd say all 40 men on the panel texted me after it. Jake Morris texted me the following morning, saying 'we'll go for a coffee'. Just to get back around the lads again. "They're all so good. The last day, again, they looked after me there… I've no words for them. "Noel McGrath, my favourite hurler of all time. Jason [Forde] and John [McGrath] are unreal to play with. No better man to pass to than Noel (for the last point). He thanked me. No need to thank me. I am so grateful to him." McCarthy scored four points from play, dispatched a penalty and didn't miss a single place ball, despite constant whistles from the Cork fans who made up about 70% of the 82,300 at Croke Park. "I know he was getting jeers from the crowd, but he just didn't hear it, he blocked it out," marvelled team-mate Michael Breen. "Darragh's on the field every day for hours practising frees and that's no exaggeration. "He's 19. So resilient already in the journey [the Tipperary Under 20s] they have come. They lost an All-Ireland against Offaly last year. Came back, won it this year. "Even coming up on the bus, he's playing games on his phone and he's having a laugh. There's no seriousness or up-tightness to it. "And I think the whole camp was that way today coming up. We just kept talking about enjoying the day, enjoying the moment and you could see that fully come out, I think. That was a fun second half to play." Cahill's decision to keep faith in McCarthy was completely vindicated. And afterwards he spoke of the young forward in the same breath as "legendary players like Jason [Forde] and Eoin Kelly and [Seamus] Callanan. "They can't be hanging around forever and you'll say 'where are you going to find the next one?' And suddenly up pops McCarthy, 19 years of age - he's now arrived on the scene. "He's from a serious club up there in Toomevara – them fellas up there would eat you alive. So there was never going to be a case of Darragh's character being questioned or he doubting himself. "That's the class of this young man and the resilience he has. And he just loves his hurling. When you love hurling like that, you get your rewards. He got his just reward today and I'm really, really happy for him."
RTÉ News
16 hours ago
- RTÉ News
Eimear Maher and Anika Thompson bag bronze medals at European U23 Championships
Ireland's Eimear Maher clinched a bronze medal in the women's 1500m on the final day of the European Under-23 Championships in Bergen, Norway. Maher delivered a tactical masterclass to run the race of her life and claim a medal in her first track championship for Ireland. The 21-year-old stuck to the back of the pack before taking closer order with two laps to go. Maher got an inside run on the final straight, battling to hold off British athlete Mena Scatchard to cross the line in 4:09.54. Before coming to these championships Maher set a personal best by more than four seconds at the Morton Games in Santry of 4:08.67. "I'm lost for words right now, I can't even I'm still processing it all," she said afterwards. "I knew after Morton that I was in the shape of my life, and then I just had to keep it good and do what I did. "I was vomiting before the heats I was so nervous, this was my first track champs… I worked for this, I wanted this, and I think I tried to enjoy it a lot more today, but it was easier because I had done it before." The race was won by Turkey's Dilek Kocak in 4:08.79; Adele Gay of France took silver. An overwhelmed Eimear Maher reacts to her bronze in the women's 1500m at the European Athletics U23 Championships. 🇮🇪 #RTEsport — RTÉ Sport (@RTEsport) July 20, 2025 Just 30 minutes later, Irish flags were waving again when 10,000m champion Anika Thompson made a return to the track, this time in the 5,000m where she also took bronze. In what was a tight turnaround from her 10,000m glory on Friday evening, a determined Thompson hit the front early, leading until 800m to go, where she hung on for two gritty laps to cross the line in 15:56.80. Thompson explained she was still feeling the effects of the 24-lap race on Friday evening. "I'm really quite tired, but I'm actually really happy," she said. "I love having a race where I can give it my all and that was one of the hardest ones I have run, and I just love to leave it out there on the track. "It's the joy I have of the sport of running, whether I win or lose, the greatest thing is that I'm healthy and I get to do this, I have a big smile on my face. "My goal today was of course to get the double gold, but If I go for gold and I might end up with a bronze, so always go for the win and see where you end up after that." In the final event of the championships, the men's 4x400m squad of Andrew Egan, Callum Baird, Joe Doody and David Mannion finished an impressive fifth place in a new national Under-23 record of 3:06.31. The team qualified as one of the fastest non-automatic places in the morning session and held off fast-finishing Italy and Romania to take fifth in the final. The race was won by Spain in a new championship record of 3:02.02. In the women's discus, major championships debutant Anna Gavigan placed eighth with a best throw of 51.16m. Gavigan had a consistent series to qualify for today's final and was rewarded with a top-eight finish in her first major championships. In the morning session, the men's 4x100m squad of Max O'Reilly, Craig Duffy, Darragh Murphy and Emmanuel Akinrole finished fifth in heat two. This is the second fastest time ever by an Under-23 Irish squad with a 39.83 clocking. Sean Agiboboh was absent from the squad after pulling out from the semi-final of the men's 100m for medical reasons. The women's 4x400m squad of Kate O'Connell, Victoria Amiadamen and Jenna Breen broke the national Under-23 record, taking 0.06 seconds off the time set in 2017, crossing the line in 3:34.81. It rounds off the most successful Under-23 European championship ever for Ireland with five medals over the four days and a 14th-place finish on the medal table.
