Champ Kiely tops Ballyburn for Grade One gold

Champ Kiely upset his better fancied stablemate Ballyburn to claim top honours in a dramatic renewal of the Dooley Insurance Group Champion Novice Chase at Punchestown.

Willie Mullins saddled five of the eight runners that went to post for the Grade One contest, but first his Cheltenham Festival hero Lecky Watson fell at the fifth obstacle and brought down stablemate Impaire Et Passe before a third Closutton runner, Ile Atlantique, came to grief a few fences later.

Ballyburn, an 11-8 favourite to bounce back from Cheltenham disappointment, moved to the front on the second circuit – but 22-1 shot Champ Kiely and Danny Mullins sat in his slipstream before the home turn and had more to give in the straight, with six and a half lengths separating the pair at the line.

Mullins said: “Champ Kiely didn’t enjoy Fairyhouse (finished third nine days ago) but today he was a different horse, and Danny rode him with huge confidence to follow Paul.

“He did everything right for Danny today. With all the hard luck we had in the race between fallers and a horse being brought down, it was great to see Danny getting into the picture at the third-last and I said this fella has a chance if Ballyburn doesn’t stay in front.”

Of Ballyburn, he added: “He probably just didn’t jump well enough on the day and I would say there’ll be a lot of thought put into going back hurdling next season.

“We know he jumps hurdles fantastically and there might be a gap in the staying hurdling division for him.”