Boyne first for Mullins
Officially rated 2lb. superior and conceding that amount of weight to his stable-companion, Mourad made a lot of the running, had the favourite in trouble before the second last flight and stayed on dourly in the extremely testing conditions to triumph by six and a half lengths, giving Mullins his first success in the Grade 2 event.
Admitting his disappointment at Mikael D’Haguenet’s display, Willie Mullins admitted: “That’s a bit of a surprise. Mourad was disappointing the last day (when third to Big Bucks in Cheltenham) and we decided to change tactics today.
“I told Paul to make plenty of use of him and he appeared to enjoy himself a lot better. I suppose he’s found his form for the first time this season.”
He added: “It didn’t do his travelling plans any harm,” confirming that Mourad would take his chance in the Ladbrokes World Hurdle at Cheltenham, in which he finished third behind Big Bucks and Grands Crus last year and for which he is a best-priced 16/1 shot with Paddy Power (from 25) and Stan James (from 33).
Both Grade 2 novice chases produced surprises and substantial whip bans for the winning riders.
The Noel Meade-trained Donns Palm retained his unbeaten record at Navan (five from five) when, under a forceful ride by Davy Condon, he got up close home to foil the flattering Foildubh by a head in the Grade 2 Flyingbolt Novice Chase.
The eight-year-old grey was recording his second win over fences, in the colours of the Grand Alliance Racing Club, which comprises current and former members of the Oireachtas.
Winning trainer Meade commented, “I though he was a very good price and told the lads to back him. He always works well and was dropping down in grade today. The blinkers definitely helped him.”
And he admitted: “He’s probably not a Grade 1 horse so I’m not sure where he’ll go. He wouldn’t be good enough for the Powers Gold Cup and is a cut below that. He needed every yard of that trip today and stays two and a half miles. So we’ll be on the lookout for something suitable.”
Condon was banned for seven racedays for using his whip with excessive frequency while Andrew Thornton, picked up a five-day suspension for a similar ‘force and frequency’ offence after landing the Irish Form Book Ten Up Novice Chase on 50/1 shot Lion Na Bearnai, a first Grade 2 winner for the rider and Kells-based trainer Tom Gibney.
The unconsidered outsider of seven runners, 108-rated Lion Na Bearnai emerged best in a three-way battle over Gigginstown-owned Four Commanders (whose rider Davy Russell was also banned for two days for ‘excessive force and frequency’) and Start Me Up, scoring by three-quarters of a length and a nose.
“That’s a surprise,” commented Gibney, “We weren’t expecting that. He hadn’t run since early December and I had my eye on a novice handicap here in a fortnight. I wanted to get a run into him and was hoping the race would cut up, that we would finish in the frame and get our money back. So this is a bonus.”
The colours of Alan and Ann Potts, best known for the exploits of Sizing Europe, were carried to victory in the bumper by Sizing Gold, also trained by Henry de Bromhead and another winner for Davy Roche. The Flemensfirth gelding, which had shown promise on his debut at Punchestown, overcame the J P Magnier-ridden Defy Logic by a length and a half.
