A Mene feat

Jockey Paul Townend & Energuméne off to a flyer | Trainer Willie Mullins kicks on after great start

- DANNY DE VAAL

THREE-TIME Cheltenham Gold Cup winner Paul Townend picked up more silverware at Punchestown yesterday after another victory with Energumene in the William Hill Champion Steeplechase.

The jockey had to pull out all the stops following a thrilling battle with Chacun Pour Soi which nearly cost him a first place finish.

Both Chacun Pour Soi and Energumene are trained by Irish racing legend Willie Mullins.

Energumene, who belongs to Brighton FC owner Tony Bloom, was tipped as a favourite before the race - after an impressive 11 wins out of 14 runs.

Speaking after the victory, Paul Townend said: "It shows how good a horse he actually is [Energumene] to do things not perfectly today and win because we know how good Chacun can be on home soil as well."

Mullins said: "He normally wins his races with class, but today he had to get down and fight it out. He answered every call from Paul and showed his grit.

"Paul really pulled that race out of the fire and that's the difference between a good jockey and a great jockey.

"You can see probably the end of the season getting to him. Paul said he wasn't as sharp as his last run at Cheltenham and he missed two fences, which isn't like him."

It wasn't Townend's only victory of the day after a smashing win with Facile Vega in the KPMG Champion Novice Hurdle beforehand.