56-year-old Niall McCullagh shines on Puturhandstogether to land Cesarewitch

Cheltenham Festival hero Puturhandstogether had supporters cheering once again, as the 7-1 joint-favourite stormed home to land the Friends Of The Curragh Irish Cesarewitch under veteran jockey Niall McCullagh.

Trainer Joseph O’Brien already possessed a wealth of chances for the prestigious Curragh marathon, but his hand was strengthened further when the Fred Winter winner sneaked into the contest as second reserve.

Although third at Galway in his last appearance on the level, the JP McManus-owned runner was second in a competitive Listed hurdle at Listowel earlier this week and showed his resolution on this quick return to the track.

Ridden by one of the weighing room’s elder statesman in McCullagh, the four-year-old hit the front a furlong from home and after pulling clear of the chasing pack had enough of an advantage to repel the fast finish of Ross O’Sullivan’s 66-1 runner-up Chally Chute by half a length.

It was O’Brien’s second Cesarewitch success in the last three years after Magellan Strait in 2023 and he said: “He got a great spot from the draw (stall 30) and he minded him into the race. He’s a tricky horse but Niall gave him a lovely ride and it’s a great pot to win.

“He had a bit of look around after he hit the front but that’s him. He’s not the simplest horse to get right and he was against the odds for things to go right from that draw. Niall was very kind on him, and he settled well for him.

“He ran great in Listowel and bounced out of the race well so we figured we’d let him take his chance.

“He could go for a nice handicap hurdle in Leopardstown. He doesn’t want the ground too soft.”

For winning rider McCullagh – whose son Scott rode Puturhandstogether’s stablemate Dawn Rising to finish fifth in the race – the victory represented a long-awaited hat-trick in the prestigious contest.

“That’s my third time to win the race. I won it a long time ago for PJ Finn on Marlion (in 1989) and again for John Oxx five years later on Elupa, so it’s a long time between drinks,” said the 56-year-old.

“When I saw the second reserve not jocked up this morning I rang Tooler (agent Ciaran O’Toole) and he called me back to say you can ride it if it gets in. I didn’t even have a ride here today.”

He added: “I have about 40 young riders on my books (as a jockey’s coach) and I have a great relationship with a lot of them. I’m here for reassurance if things go pear-shaped and I’m always there for advice as I’ve seen it all. I’ve seen the highs and the lows, the injuries and things going wrong.

“It’s going well and is something to look forward to in the future when I do hang up my boots. I’m 56 and still enjoying riding.”