Image © Healy Racing
For the second year in a row, Fountain House visited the winner’s enclosure at the Punchestown Festival as he turned the Ladies Cup into a one-horse contest.
The eight-year-old had justified short odds when claiming the Bishopscourt Cup over conventional obstacles 12 months ago, but switching to banks for his second attempt at winning the Ladies Cup, the Lucky Speed gelding duly went on better than his second in the 2024 edition.
With Rob James aboard for the first time, as she stood in for the injured Eoin Mahon, the pair raced in mid-division for much of the contest, as his 2024 conqueror, Knockiel Synge, cut out much of the running.
Ian McCarthy’s charge always travelled at his ease through, and even when Gordon Elliott’s Willitgoahead, and the Wille Murphy-trained Grange Soldier made their move to the front of the field at the Glendalough Round Tower obstacle, James always looked to be full of confidence.
Stalking the 2025 Cheltenham Foxhunters third Willitgoahead into the straight, Fountain House swiftly swept past him at the penultimate obstacle, and victory was comfortably wrapped up as he came down to the last.
Ultimately, Fountain House returned with a 39-length winning margin over Knockiel Synge, who rallied to take second close home, with Turnupdevolume, who had finished second a year earlier, could finish a never-nearer third under Barry Stone.
Fountain House - winning favourite and opening winner of the 2026 @punchestownrace Festival!
— Racing TV (@RacingTV) April 28, 2026
The eight-year-old strikes at successive Festivals and bolts up in the Kildare Hunt Club Cross Country Chase for the Ladies Perpetual Cup for Ian McCarthy and Rob James pic.twitter.com/am3DoXTKPy
The winning Kildare-based trainer has long hinted that Fountain House would run twice at the Festival this year, and afterwards he indicated that was still very much the plan.
"It was the plan all year to come here, and it has worked out. I didn't think he'd do it that easily, but he is a proper horse, and we've had great fun along the way with him,” he said.
"He is a family-owned horse; we own him ourselves, and unfortunately, his regular rider, Eoin Mahon, was injured.
“It was also Eoin that advised me to buy him, and the horse hasn't looked back since then.
"We'll get him home now, and hopefully we might run him again on Friday or Saturday.
"Next year, we'll look at the La Touche back here. I think he is really coming into his own now and that is as good a performance as he has done."
It was a first Ladies Cup success for the winning rider, who never had any worrying moments.
“I just let him bowl along, and he ran all the way out to the line,” he said. “It was a fair performance and a fair training performance by Ian, in fairness. Unluckily, Eoin Mahon usually takes the ride on him, and he did all the work on him throughout the year. It’s unfortunate for him, but we’ll enjoy today.
“The further he was going, the better he was getting, and the quicker he was getting over his fences. We went a nice gallop for the first four or five, but then it slowed up. He got into it so easily, the further he went the better he was getting.
“He was long [at the last], but I said we would keep him going, he had loads of scope. Eoin said to keep going on him, and he would make it for you.
“Ian was confident. I gave him a pop last week, and he was in good form, so it worked out, which is great.”
