By DAN WALSH at Punchestown
Ruby Walsh announced his retirement after winning the Coral Punchestown Gold Cup on Kemboy giving Willie Mullins his 200th winner of the season, but half an hour later and Wexford-born jockey Jamie Codd brought the Carlow trainer into his third century aboard Colreevy in the Grade 1 Conyngham Cup.
Colreevy led or disputed the lead on the Flemensfirth mare, took over approaching the straight, and she was pushed along and asserted under two furlongs out.
Codd lost his whip over a furlong out, and Colreevy drifted left and kept on well inside the final furlong to beat Gigginstown horses Abacadabras and Beacon Edge by a length and three parts of a length.
Owner Niall Flynn, said afterwards: “We were hoping that she might get some black-type and finish second or third. Jamie worked the oracle and managed to squeeze a win out of her.
“She goes jumping now. She’s a fine big mare, she can jump and she’ll go over fences eventually.”
This was the second winner in the first two days of Punchestown. On Tuesday, he guided Festival D’ex to an easy success in the Goffs Landrover Bumper.