Bon Viveur earns surprise win as Mullins and Townend enjoy Thurles double

Bon Viveur & Paul Townend win the Grade 3 Michael Purcell Memorial Novice Hurdle. Pic: HEALY RACING

It’s rare a horse trained by Willie Mullins and ridden by Paul Townend in a four-runner race can be backed at odds of 14-1 but Bon Viveur did just that at Thurles on Thursday, defying a significant market drift to win the Grade Three BOYLE Sports Michael Purcell Memorial Novice Hurdle.

In a tactical affair, all four runners still had a chance jumping the last but Bon Viveur, beaten 46 lengths when seventh of eight at Navan last time out, showed the best acceleration from there to the line, beating Open Secret by three-quarters of a length with Timeless Treaty, sent off the 4-6 favourite, a further three-quarters of a length back in third.

“When you’re riding for Willie, every day you have a chance going out, whatever (price) it is,” Townend said in reference to the market drift.

“I thought going that slow wasn’t going to suit as he’s a big, massive horse who covers ground and jumps really well so I thought I was doing everything wrong by letting it turn into a sprint and not using my jumping throughout the race. But I was able to get two good jumps down the straight and he showed a turn of foot that I didn’t think he possessed.” 

Bon Viveur’s win was the second leg of a Closutton double as Karia Des Blaises finally put it all together to run out an impressive winner of Carey Glass Irish EBF Colreevy Mares Novice Chase.

The six-year-old had failed to get her head in front in 11 previous starts for Mullins and came here on the back of a fall at the last when booked for second at Limerick’s Christmas meeting, a blunder winning jockey Townend felt might have been the making of her.

“She has been very brave in the past but it definitely opened her eyes and she realised she has to have a bit of respect for them,” he said after the 3-1 shot’s smooth success.

“I actually probably jumped too well early in the race. I was happy to take a lead but I was giving away the advantage I was getting over the fences then so I just let her use her jumping and on that ground it was about maintaining a good rhythm. I thought if I kept jumping and stayed going the way I was, it was going to take a good one to get past me. I thought it was a decent performance.” 

Dancing Jeremy took advantage of the final fence fall of leader River Vale to win the opening race, the Racing Again 5th March Handicap Chase, but the drama didn’t begin there as Laois trainer James Fahey explained post-race.

“He was very, very lucky to get here today because the lorry broke down and we had to swap him out of one lorry onto another on the motorway and get here and we just got here on time,” the Laois handler explained.

“It’s great that it worked out, we were probably fortunate winners but everyone got up and they’re there to be jumped.” 

Winning jockey Philip Donovan went on to complete a double when partnering the Jonathan Sweeney-trained Barnahash Mason (3-1) to victory in the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Maiden Hurdle.

A bumper winner at Leopardstown at Christmas, the seven-year-old’s jumping wasn’t always the most fluent but he relished this stamina test to power home 11 lengths in front of 5-6 favourite Rusty Harkness.

Sweeney said: “I thought he was beat but he did it well. Given the mistakes he made, you’d have to be very impressed. You wouldn’t be going to any other track in this weather with him as I don’t think he’d handle real heavy, winter ground.” It was a landmark day for Lelia Byrne as she rode her winner over obstacles when partnering the William Harvey-trained Campbell Black to victory in the Connolly's RED MILLS Ladies Handicap Hurdle.

“It was brilliant, I think it was my fourth ride over hurdles,” an elated Byrne said of the winner, returned at odds of 11-2. “He’s very genuine, he always runs well so I said I’d drop him out and let him take his time as I thought there’d be plenty of pace on and there was. He loves his job, he’s such a lovely horse.” Fresh from saddling his first career winner when Nan’s Choice won at Gowran Park last Saturday, Dungarvan trainer Conor Houlihan enjoyed another bumper success when Kiltybo won the finale at odds of 3-1.

“It’s a bit surreal to be honest,” Houlihan said. “I’m delighted, she did it the hard way out in front and she’ll probably improve for a bit of nicer ground in spring so I’m really looking forward to her.

“She was working with the mare that won last week — it’s hard to pick between the two of them — but I’m obviously going to say the one that’s for sale at Cheltenham tomorrow is a bit better but this one is a home-bred so she’ll be staying and we’ll look forward to picking out a few nice races for her in the spring.” The Denise Foster-trained Rideau Canal made it 26th time lucky when winning the BOYLE Sports (Q.R.) Handicap Chase in the hands of Georgie Benson.

“It’s been a very long time coming,” Foster admitted. “He was very good and Georgie gave him a gorgeous ride.”