Mick Jazz dents Cilaos Emery's Festival hopes at Punchestown

Mick Jazz lowered the colours of the highly-touted Cilaos Emery in the INH Stallion Owners European Breeders Fund Novice Hurdle at Punchestown.Sent off an odds-on favourite, Cilaos Emery was expected to enhance his Supreme Novices' Hurdle claims but was run down close home by Gordon Elliott's charge.Formerly with Harry Fry, Mick Jazz (7-1) was last seen finishing third in a Fairyhouse handicap and his extra experience came to the fore under Jack Kennedy.Cilaos Emery was very keen under Ruby Walsh and that perhaps told as he was run out of the finish in the final 100 yards. Elliott said: "It was a good performance. We were toying with going to the Betfair Hurdle next week but we felt a winner in Ireland is more important. "He won't run next week now and we could look at something like the County Hurdle in Cheltenham. "I knew he'd go to the turn-in on the bridle, but you always wonder what they will find off it. In fairness, he had to pull out all the stops to beat the other horse."