First race of Punchestown 2017 goes the way of local Kildare trainer Peter Maher

The opening race of the Punchestown festival has gone the way of Kildare trainer Peter Maher who watched on as favourite Enniskillen landed the Kildare Hunt Club Fr Sean Breen Memorial Chase under jockey Jamie Codd.

The 12-year-old was a popular winner among those in the grandstand at the Kildare racetrack as punters hammered in to back a horse that had finished second in this very race 12 months earlier. Enniskillen finished one length clear of Barry Walsh-ridden Treo Eile, while Enda Bolger-trained Blue Templar was a couple of lengths further back in third.

Speaking to KildareNow following the race, Caragh native Maher said; "Everyone backs him each way and he's always there or thereabouts. I think that's his fifth Punchestown and he has always been in the first three; still never gives me a winner. Caroline says to me this morning 'he'll win today', I said 'no he won't', he had it won one year and went off the bend. I said that's Enniskillen, he could go anywhere or do anything, but he deserved that."

It was a special feeling for Maher to land the first winner of the festival, and he joked about the fact that friends of his were encouraging him not to put all his eggs in the Punchestown basket.

"The boys were saying to me 'Peter there's other racecourses you can train winners on', and I said 'no, this is the only place to get the winners."