Echoes In Rain cruises to Mares Champion Hurdle

Echoes In Rain cruised home to land the Coolmore N.H. Sires Mogul Irish EBF Mares Champion Hurdle for Willie Mullins and Paul Townend at Punchestown.

The seven-year-old was the 13-8 joint-favourite for the Grade One contest after finishing fourth in the Close Brothers Mares' Hurdle when last seen at the Cheltenham Festival.

Harry Fry's Love Envoi was the other market leader, but was beaten around the final bend and faded to come home last in an unusually poor performance under Danny Mullins.

Echoes In Rain and stablemate She Wears It Well were left to share the lead and it was the former who pulled away easily to score by nine and a half lengths from John McConnell's Anna Bunina, with She Wears It Well in third.

"She was very impressive," said Mullins of the winning dual-purpose mare.

"Once again Paul just rode her with complete confidence, he's transferring his confidence through to his horses and they are on fire with it.

"She's improving all the time. She's hard on herself, but she's just about learning to settle now.

"We'll probably go back on the Flat with her, but Flat racing does upset her a little bit, it gets her too geed up for this job. We'll see and have a good chat with the owners. She's done the job here today and that's what counts.

"She got very wound up in Cheltenham, but I think she's maturing and some year she might be good enough to go back there.

"She'll be aimed at it next year anyway."