Own stakes National claim
Boyne Hurdle in Navan yesterday, the first leg of a treble for champion trainer Willie Mullins.
Making his seasonal debut, the eight-year-old — in the Wylie colours — outpointed Si C’Etait Vrai and Un Beau Matin in convincing fashion as his stable-companion Thousand Stars, the 1/2 favourite, trailed in a hugely disappointing last of the six runners and was subsequently reported to be “never travelling in the ground” by Ruby Walsh.
Unlucky at Aintree last year, On His Own remained unchanged as 10/1 favourite with Paddy Power and Ladbrokes for the 2013 renewal of the Aintree showpiece.
Willie Mullins admitted: “I didn’t think he was that well or that good for today’s race. I had intended running him as a novice hurdler earlier in the season and considered having him as a novice for next season. This looked an ideal race for him on the road to Aintree, It’s both a nice prize and a nice way to break his novice status.”
Mullins, who confirmed his other leading Aintree hope Prince De Beauchene in excellent shape ahead of Saturday’s Bobbyjo Chase at Fairyhouse, added: “He’ll have another run, over fences, before Aintree probably over a shorter trip. And, if I can find nothing suitable, he might run again over hurdles.”
The champion trainer also confirmed that, even before yesterday’s flop, he considered Thousand Stars unlikely to run at Cheltenham, retaining the Aintree Hurdle — in which he has been narrowly beaten by Oscar Whisky twice — as his main target for the season.”
Also Aintree-bound is the Gordon Elliott-trained Chicago Grey, 25/1 outsider of four and convincing winner of the Grade 2 Red Mills Chase (rescheduled from Gowran Park).
The first leg of a double for Davy Condon, Chicago Grey came from last to first to beat Foiidubh as both odds-on favourite Rubi Light and second favourite Hidden Cyclone produced very poor efforts, Rubi finishing a distant third (subsequently found to be lame behind) and his rival taking a tired fall at the final fence.
Chicago Grey was ending a long losing sequence, stretching back to the 2011 National Hunt Chase at Cheltenham and delighted Elliott, who commented: “He’s had a wind operation and that has made a big difference to him so I thought he’d run well today. He loves that soft ground and they played into his hands.”
And he enthused: “He’ll go straight to Aintree now and it’s nice to be going back there with a nice horse.” Boylesports are pest-priced (at 25/1) about Chicago Grey for Aintree..
Willie Mullins picked-up his second Grade 2 prize of the day when Terminal and Ruby Walsh proved too strong for Tofino Bay, the fourth odds-on favourite to be beaten on the day, in the Irish Form Book Ten Up Novice Chase.
Winner of his beginners chase in Cork, Terminal took command between the last two fences to score by five-and-a-half lengths.
Mullins said: “It took him a long while to get into his jumping — I think the shadows were effecting him down the back. But he won well and is in all those races at Cheltenham.
“But’s he’s had a hard enough race today and I’ll have to talk to the owners (the Favourites Racing Club). He has a good ground pedigree and I’m looking forward to Punchestown with him.”
Mullins completed his treble when newcomer Made In Germany, in the Gigginstown colours, had to dig deep to get the better of Kandinski by a length in the bumper.
The only successful odds-on favourite of the day, Made In Germany looked in trouble with more than two furlongs to race, but responded to strong handling by Patrick Mullins to get on top well inside the final furlong and score by a length.
The successful trainer said: “He’s a big. backward type and it took him all day to get going, just as it does in his work at home. He’s a real staying chaser and I’m not sure what we’ll do with him — he could go for a winners’ bumper and go hurdling next season or we might go hurdling straight away and start over fences next season. I expect him to better on better ground.”
Henry de Bromhead explained: “He was very disappointing in Fairyhouse, so we decided to give him a break and he seems to back as good as ever. He jumped super and battled well,” after Buckers Bridge, off the track since proving a big disappointment in the Drinmore at Fairyhouse, outbattled the Mullins-trained Twinlight in the Grade 2 Flyingbolt Novice Chase. A head separated the pair when it mattered.
The trainer added: “I was a bit worried that the trip (two miles and a furlong) might be a bit sharp for him. But, in that ground, he got away with it. I’m delighted to win a race like this with him. He’s in the Jewson at Cheltenham and I’ve entered him for the novice handicap too.”
