Punchestown Festival: Paisley Park primed for Stayers' prize

Emma Lavelle's Paisley Park will compete away from home turf for the first time when he contests the Ladbrokes Champion Stayers Hurdle at Punchestown on Thursday.

The 10-year-old is a regular in top-class staying hurdles and took the ultimate prize in the division when landing the Cheltenham Festival Stayers’ Hurdle in 2019.

A heart issue derailed his title defence the next year but in 2021 he finished a five-length third in the race to Flooring Porter and this time around he was beaten two and three-quarter lengths when third again to the same horse.

The pace with which Paisley Park galloped up the hill at Cheltenham and his upward trajectory this season have persuaded connections not to bring his season to a close and he will make his first start on Irish turf on Thursday.

"It’s something we haven’t tried before, but he’s certainly in good order and we’re looking forward to running him at Punchestown," Lavelle said.

"I think Cheltenham is a track that suits him really well because of the stiff finish and he’s had a good year. He was third in the Long Walk and he won the Cleeve again and we were delighted with how he ran in the Stayers’.

"It was a brilliant ride on Flooring Porter when (Danny Mullins) slowed the field down the hill. It stops Paisley Park’s momentum and it takes him a long time to get back going again. It was just one of those things and was his usual, genuine, staying finish.

"I think Punchestown, which is a big, galloping track, should suit him. He seems in really good shape, so we’ll see what happens."

Willie Mullins’ Klassical Dream was a nine-length winner of this race last season and returns to the track to bid for a ninth success in the race for his trainer.

The gelding was also last seen in the Stayers’