Klassical Dream won the Ladbrokes Champion Stayers Hurdle at Punchestown this afternoon for the third year in-a-row.
Ridden by Paul Townend, the nine-year-old held off the challenge of Sire Du Berlais and Mark Walsh by a half length.
Klassical Dream just LOVES @punchestownrace! 😍
✅ 2021
✅ 2022
✅ 2023@WillieMullinsNH's star stayer wins his THIRD Ladbrokes Champion Stayers Hurdle plus records his fourth Punchestown Festival victory 👏👏What a performance! @PTownend pic.twitter.com/c0Ut5Mnvmk
— Racing TV (@RacingTV) April 27, 2023
It was another Grade 1 winner of the Festival for successful trainer Willie Mullins thanks to the gelded son of Dream Well.
🗣️"Willie didn't make it a secret that his prep for Cheltenham wasn't ideal."
Klassical Dream bounces back to his best to win the @Ladbrokes Champion Stayers Hurdle @punchestownrace, and @irishkor caught up with @PTownend afterwards 👇 pic.twitter.com/1AGsnSOcW6
— Racing TV (@RacingTV) April 27, 2023
It was a fourth Punchestown Festival success in total for the Joanne Coleman-owned bay, and his three triumphs in this race put him alongside Derrymoyle, who won it three times in four seasons.
Sire Du Berlais was bidding to create history by completing the Cheltenham-Aintree-Punchestown treble in the staying division.
Winning rider Paul Townend said of Klassical Dream:
“He loves it here. His record here is very good. We just held on. I was trying to leave it late and I still managed to get there too soon. He hasn’t had the most straightforward of season and all credit to Dave (Casey) and the gang at home for getting him back here in such good form on that bit of nice ground.”
