YES! I got my Punchestown losses back on Saturday when the final official race of the 2023 Festival, the Lawlors Hotel Naas INH Flat Race, was won by the Stuart Crawford-trained newcomer Chasing Unicorn, a 25/1 shot.

I suppose it would be only fair to say that Simon Munir and Isaac Souede’s five-year-old Milan gelding, a €36,000 purchase by Highflyer Bloodstock at the 2021 Land Rover Sale in Goffs, was given an excellent ride by the trainer’s brother Steven. As this was a Pro/Am bumper, Steven was an apt winner as he rode as a professional on the flat and over jumps before taking out an amateur licence.

Two winners

On the same afternoon, a third Crawford brother, Ross, saddled two winners, both ridden by Stephen Connor, at the Co Down Hunt point-to-point in Moira. First up, David Laverty’s home-bred Arcadio six-year-old Spice Diva landed the Albert Bartlett five-year-old and upwards mares’ maiden on her fifth start. The Alan and Bill Dunlop-bred Annaghbeg, a five-year-old gelding by Conduit, brought up the double when landing the concluding Wilsons Auctions winners of two.

Dara McGill also recorded a double at this meeting – on the Noel Kelly-trained I Can Only Imagine (Dennison JCB five-year-old geldings’ maiden) and Warren Ewing’s charge Mount Wilson (Barclay Communications older geldings’ maiden) – while David Christie saddled Ray Nicholas’s Bold Enough to win the Tattersalls NH open.

At Down Royal on Monday, McGill’s brother Oran won the C&C White Maiden Hunters Chase on Ballydesmond, who is trained by Caroline McCaldin for her husband Alan. Here, there was a second win in succession for the Neill McCluskey-owned and trained I Don’t Get It in the Club Lemon Handicap Hurdle and Stuart Crawford’s good run continued when his own The Flier Begley landed the Club Loaded Beginners Chase.