Dublin Racing Festival Round-Up: Maestro Mullins On Song

There was many highlights for the champion trainer.

An admiring and appreciative Leopardstown crowd cheered their darling Honeysuckle down to the start, they roared in approval passing the stands and they raised the roof as she galloped to a third straight win in the in the Grade 1 Chanelle Pharma Irish Champion Hurdle for owner Kenny Alexander, trainer Henry de Bromhead and jockey Rachael Blackmore at Leopardstown on Sunday.

Although a 1/5 favourite, making her unbackable for most, her win was the undoubted highlight of the Dublin Racing Festival and while she readily outpointed Willie Mullins’ runners in the Sunday highlight, it was the champion trainer who dominated with success in seven of the 15 races on offer over the weekend.

But day two of the Festival belonged to the unbeaten Honeysuckle which was recording her tenth Grade 1 win and her 14th racecourse success, overtaking Bula to create a new record for the longest unbeaten run over jumps. Her six and a half-length win over Gordon Elliott’s Zanahiyr also saw the eight-year-old join Hurricane Fly and Istabraq as the only horses to win Irish Champion Hurdle on three or more occasions.

Blackmore was ecstatic, saying, “Ah man, it’s just unbelievable. We’re so lucky to be involved in her. Me to be riding her, Henry training her, Kenny owning her. It’s unbelievable.

“I’ve never got a reception like that cantering to the start. It’s incredible. I had chills through my veins cantering down to the start listening to everyone. It’s fantastic to be involved in it all. She’s an unbelievable mare. Kenny texted me last night and said, ‘She owes us nothing, just go out and enjoy it,’ and it’s lovely to be riding for those kind of people as well. The crowds are what make it. As I said that cheer going down to the start. Where would you get it?”

Willie Mullins landed three winners on Sunday’s card, all at Grade 1 level, with Galopin Des Champs certainly living up to his billing in the Ladbrokes Novice Chase. A 4/9 favourite in the hands of Paul Townend, six-year-old eased clear before the final fence and came home nine lengths ahead of the Paddy Corkery-trained Master McShee.

Mullins and Townend also captured the Ladbrokes Dublin Chase with 4/7 favourite Chacun Pour Soi which firmly put his disappointing pre-Christmas Sandown run behind him with a 12-length success over the Pat Fahy-trained Dunvegan.

Mullins said

“He was very good all week and he trained very well. I thought I had him very ready the last couple of times and he disappointed so this week I decided I was just going to get him here at 95 per cent and I think he's better like that. He's been pleasing me at home doing that so that's what I'll be doing for the future and hopefully I can get him across the water (to the Cheltenham Festival) in that sort of form.”

Mullins’ Sir Gerhard made every yard of the running under Townend as he posted a six-length victory over the Elliott-trained Three Stripe Life in the Tattersalls Ireland Novice Hurdle. The champion jockey commented, “He was taking in all the scenery for himself, that’s for sure,” He’ll learn from that again. He had to make his own running and, as I say, he was taking it all in but he dug deep for me. I think he will jump better at Cheltenham. It’s been a mighty weekend. We can breathe a bit now! There were a lot of big guns running over the two days and thankfully we got it right on some of them anyway.”

Also sharing a winner on the big stage were Enda Bolger and Cratloe, County Clare conditional rider Mark McDonagh who registered his most notable success to date as Birchdale gave owner JP McManus further Dublin Racing Festival glory in the Bulmers Secret Orchard Leopardstown Handicap Chase. The strongly supported 9/2 favourite got the better of the Mouse Morris-trained Foxy Jacks by a length and a quarter and the successful trainer said, “I thought he got a great ride from young Mark, I've known him for a long time as he used to come in and ride out for us. It all came together today and 9-7 was a help. It was Mr Berry’s idea to use Mark, it’s getting harder to get fellas to do the weight. Mark is riding well and it was an easy decision. He was outstanding on him.”

Gordon Elliott and Davy Russell added to Saturday’s gains with a handicap hurdle double. The Bective Stud-owned Party Central, a gambled-on 7/4 favourite, made light of her handicap inexperience with a taking success in the Irish Stud Farms EBF Paddy Mullins Mares Hurdle. She was good value for her one and three-quarter length margin over her own stable companion Say Goodbye. Russell is truly ageless and the former champion jockey was at his brilliant best in delivering 20/1 shot Call Me Lyreen, owned by the Lyreen Syndicate, out of the pack at the last to collar Magic Tricks, another Cullentra runner, in the Liffey Handicap Hurdle. A narrow success for 40/1 outsider Lily Du Berlais, in the colours of Simon Munir and Isaac Souede, in the Grade 2 Coolmore NH Sires Santiago Irish EBF Mares INH Flat Race wrapped up the Festival. The winner is trained by Stuart Crawford and was ridden by his brother Ben.

Elated Elliott and Russell win big with Conflated.

In the colours of Gigginstown House Stud, Conflated made the best of his way home to ground out a wonderful victory in the feature Grade 1 Paddy Power Irish Gold Cup on the opening day of the Dublin Racing Festival at Leopardstown on Saturday. The much-improved eight-year-old defeated reigning Cheltenham Gold Cup hero Minella Indo, trained by Henry de Bromhead, by six and a half lengths, with Willie Mullins’ Janidil a neck further back in third. A second success in the race for both Gordon Elliott and Davy Russell, the winner went off an 18/1 shot but he wasn’t without his supporters and was a far bigger price in the days before the race. Russell said, “I was between a rock and a hard place what way I’d ride him. I just took a chance and bounced him out. You can look a hero when you get those tactics right but if they go wrong, you look very stupid. Thankfully today it worked out.”

Elliott added,

“I’m absolutely thrilled. He can jump a bit left so we said we’d go down the paint and he had plenty space there. He’s got a big engine. I said to Eddie (O’Leary) before the race he’d either win or pull up and thank God he won. He’s a good horse. He was a good novice hurdler. We’ve got the Cheltenham Gold Cup now, the Ryanair, he’s in the Grand National. We’ll have a chat with the whole team so we’ll see what we do.”

Champion trainer Willie Mullins has been the pre-eminent figure since the inauguration of the Dublin Racing Festival and he secured the opening three races on Saturday, a trio of Grade 1 affairs. The 11/2 chance Minella Cocooner, owned by David Bobbett, benefited from an absolute peach of a ride from in-form Danny Mullins to score in the Nathaniel Lacy & Partners Solicitors '€50,000 Cheltenham Bonus For Stable Staff' Novice Hurdle by two and three-quarter lengths from another John Nallen product, Minella Crooner.

Mullins followed up with Vauban in the Racing TV ‘€12 Per Month This Weekend Only’ Spring Juvenile Hurdle, the first of five weekend winners for Paul Townend. The 9/4 chance was thoroughly impressive in lowering the colours of the previously unbeaten 6/5 favourite Fil Dor, winning by three lengths for owners Susannah and Rich Ricci.

Townend had to work much harder for his double on 5/2 shot Blue Lord in the Grade 1 Patrick Ward & Company Solicitors Irish Arkle Novice Chase. Simon Munir and Isaac Souede’s seven-year-old had to pull out all the stops to hold off the rallying 2/1 favourite Riviere D’etel by half a length and the winner then had to survive a length stewards’ enquiry after crossing the runner-up after the final fence.

The Closutton Saturday four-timer was completed by the day’s most spectacular victor, as Facile Vega, a son of six-time Cheltenham heroine Quevega, bolted home under Patrick Mullins in the Grade 2 Goffs Future Stars INH Flat Race. The 8/11 favourite romped to a 12-length win over Paul Nolan’s from Sandor Clegane.

The 9/2 chance A Wave Of The Sea jumped like a buck and for Kanturk, County Cork conditional jockey Shane Fitzgerald to make it a two-in-a-row in the Paddy Power Handicap Chase for JP McManus and trainer Joseph O’Brien, while a huge cheer greeted Nurney, County Kildare jockey Kevin Sexton as he delivered the Tony Martin-trained Good Time Jonny with a well-timed run to bag the Paddy Power Handicap Hurdle at odds of 17/2 for owners Aidan Shiels, Donal Gavigan and Niall Reilly.