Gaelic Warrior once again proved he is the premier staying chaser of the season when he added the Ladbrokes Punchestown Gold Cup to his Cheltenham triumph, delivering a performance that left spectators in awe. The eight‑year‑old, trained by the renowned Willie Mullins, travelled with apparent ease from the start, maintaining a smooth rhythm that kept him well‑placed throughout the race.

As the 5/6 favourite, he was allowed to settle comfortably before his regular stablemate, Fact To File, made a move three fences from the finish. At that point, jockey Paul Townend gave the cue to accelerate, and Gaelic Warrior responded instantly, pulling away with such authority that the outcome was decided well before the finish line. The final stages saw the champion surge ahead, crossing the line a staggering 26 lengths clear of Fact To File, who had tried to challenge from the front but was unable to match the pace. Mullins, visibly thrilled, commented on the magnitude of the effort: "It was a huge performance.

My heart was in my mouth when Paul joined him (Fact To File) between the fourth‑last and the third‑last. I was thinking 'would they knock one another' or what would they do. They were going some lick. Both jockeys just let fly.

Over that trip Gaelic Warrior seemed to have the measure of Fact To File. Over a shorter trip it might be different.

It was a hell of a horse race. It takes two horses to do it.

It was great that JP (McManus) allowed Fact To File to take him on. It made for a memorable day. Both horses got the run of the race the way they wanted to. Fact To File got a nice time in front and Paul was able to settle his fella in.

Both jockeys got to ride their horse the way they wanted to. There were no excuses." Mullins also reflected on the demanding campaign Gaelic Warrior has endured this year.

He noted, "He started off here in November and then on to Kempton (King George), Dublin Racing Festival, Cheltenham and here. It's always my philosophy that if you have the horses and the sponsors put up nice money you should go for it. I try to run them as much as I can when we have nice opportunities." This philosophy has clearly paid dividends, as the horse has now claimed victories at some of the sport's most prestigious meetings.

The rivalry between Gaelic Warrior and Fact To File has been a highlight of the season. The two met for the third time at Punchestown after previously clashing in the John Durkan at the same venue, where Fact To File later avenged his earlier defeat by winning the Irish Gold Cup.

Mullins hinted that the pair could meet again next season in the John Durkan, stating, "That would look the right plan to do," suggesting that the narrative of their duel may continue into the future. Owner Rich Ricci expressed his delight at the historic win: "We've never won this race before. It was very sporting of JP to run his horse, the ground probably didn't suit him, but he's a fantastic horse. I'm so pleased to win it.

I've not been here since Ruby (Walsh) retired in 2019. I've been busy and we had covid and those kind of things.

The people here are brilliant and I'm thrilled to win the race. I couldn't be more delighted." Ricci's comments underline the significance of the achievement for both the stable and the owner, marking a milestone in their racing history. The day also featured other notable performances.

Le Frimeur, trained by Harry Derham, continued his unbeaten streak by winning the Channor Real Estate Group Novice Hurdle, giving Derham his first Grade One victory. Starting at 18/1, the horse surged ahead in the final stages, finishing six and a half lengths clear of favourite Zanoosh. Derham, overwhelmed by the success, said, "It's a cliche, but I genuinely dream about training Grade One winners.

It's absolutely unreal. Obviously it makes it an awful lot easier with very good horses.

Simon actually grabbed me on the arm at this meeting last year and said he was going to send me this horse. To have the access to horses like this is something unbelievable. He got a little setback in the autumn and he's just improved and improved all spring. We had no idea how good he was coming here and I'm still not sure we do to be honest.

JJ said he did plenty wrong in the race and he's beaten a quality field well. It's absolutely unreal. We obviously believed in the horse a lot or else we wouldn't have brought him here. JJ thought three miles was the right thing to do and it's absolutely unreal." Jockey JJ Slevin praised Derham, noting, "Harry is a young trainer, very ambitious.

He's only going one way and that's up. It was a big shout from Harry coming here, to run him in that race. Rated 129, you would think a handicap would be a logical way to go, but I've been over there a few times riding out, great facilities, great schooling grounds, great gallop, so fair play to him, it's great." In the flat division, Josh Halford timed his ride perfectly on With Nolimit to claim the Punchestown Champion I.N.H. Flat Race.

The five‑year‑old, who had finished ninth in the Champion Bumper at Cheltenham, held off a late surge from Festival hero The Mourne Rambler, winning by a length and three‑quarters. Trainer Gordon Elliott praised the colt, saying, "To be fair he ran a good race in Cheltenham, he might have just done a little bit much.

I probably gave Harry (Swan) the wrong instructions. We took our time with him a bit more today. All credit to Josh, he gave him a great ride.

I'm delighted for Josh, he works in the yard and he works very hard. He's a lovely fella, he's from good stock. He's with me now for a couple of years and got us a good few winners. He comes in every day and doesn't say too much and doesn't give out.

He's patient and I'm absolutely thrilled for him, to win a Grade One. It's hard to get them." Elliott added that the victory brings his stable's tally of Grade One wins to twelve for the season, saying, "That's equal with our best‑ever season as regards Grade Ones (12). Hopefully we might get another one before the end of the week." Henry de Bromhead's Nouvotic, sent out by jockey Darragh O'Keeffe, produced a decisive performance in the Colm Quinn BMW Handicap Chase, pulling clear three fences from the finish to secure victory. De Bromhead reflected on the win, noting, "It's lovely to get one, especially for Roger (Brookhouse) who is a brilliant supporter of Punchestown.

He loves coming over, he comes over every year. He's a great supporter of ours as well and that's the second time we've won this, we won it with Lets Go Champ a couple of years ago.

I couldn't believe the easy lead Darragh got and I'm just delighted. When asked if he could be a Galway Plate contender, he added: 'He could, I was just thinking that but he may not be rated high enough. He was 130 there so he may not be rated high enough to get in, but he could be a horse for the Blazers or something like that. He loves that ground.'" Overall, Punchestown delivered a day packed with high‑quality racing, memorable duels, and historic achievements, reinforcing its reputation as one of the premier festivals in the Irish racing calendar.