Ascending Lark swoops for Punchestown prize

British raider Ascending Lark finished with a flourish to extend her unbeaten record over obstacles to six in the Killashee Hotel Handicap Hurdle at Punchestown.

Placed in two of her three bumper starts in Ireland before switching stables, the seven-year-old made a winning debut for Harry Derham at Haydock in March of last year and has not looked back, adding further victories at Huntingdon, Newcastle, Exeter and Ludlow.

She faced a far sterner test at Listed level in County Kildare and was priced up accordingly at 8-1, but powered home under a well-judged ride from Paul O’Brien to get up and beat Jonjo O’Neill’s Wilful by three-quarters of a length.

Derham said: “There is not many that win six, never mind six in a row! We didn’t plan on being that far back but she’s a good horse. He said he was going to ride her to come home and come home she has.

“Will (Watt) gave John (Lalor) half of her as a wedding present, so it was quite the gift!

“A couple of times last year I was on the verge of retiring her. I couldn’t get her right and she didn’t run to her mark, but her owners were very patient and thank God they were as she’s some mare.”

Ascending Lark was a second British-trained winner on the card, with 50-1 shot Buy Some Time having earlier got the raiding party off the mark with a surprise victory in the Albert Bartlett Triple Crown Series Final Handicap Hurdle for the Scottish father-and-son team of Mike and Ben Smith.

Mike Smith said: “Is there anything better than a day like today at the Punchestown Festival and your son winning like that? It doesn’t come any better than that.

“In the last seven or eight days I’ve had a National Hunt winner in Perth, a point-to-point winner, a Flat winner at Ayr and then flew over here.

“They all tell you that you can’t beat the Irish and Willie (Mullins) comes over and beats us all, but it doesn’t always happen that way. You have to be brave, to take the risk and throw the darts!”

Transprint (22-1) saw off his better fancied stablemate Turnupdevolume to give trainer Richie O’Keeffe a one-two in the Kildare Hunt Club Cross Country Chase for the Ladies Perpetual Cup.