Willie Mullins: Douvan is just a ‘different species’
A mass migration from the Arkle to the JLT Novices’ Chase at the Cheltenham Festival beckons after the son of Walk In The Park tightened his stranglehold on the market, earning quotes of 1-2 seven weeks before in advance of the two-mile novice chase on the opening day of the meeting.
Sent off the 1-14 chance to secure a third successive victory over fences, and a seventh consecutive win since joining the Mullins team, he jumped off in front and, without ever having to be asked a serious question, skipped across the final fence with a comfortable advantage.
One squeeze from Ruby Walsh and the long-odds-on favourite sauntered clear to beat the 143-rated Velvet Maker by 15 lengths. A display of phenomenal potential.
“He’s just an awesome horse, that’s what he is,” said a suitably impressed Mullins. “You are now seeing what he shows me at home every day we work him. He’s just a different species, we don’t know how good he is, but he really could be anything. There’ll be another test for him in seven weeks’ time.
“I just said to Ruby ‘keep a leg either side of him’ and keep him jumping. At one fence down the back, he stood back a bit far off it. I’d imagine going to the last Ruby was thinking of Killultagh Vic (all but fell at the final fence with the race at his mercy, a week ago), but when he landed over the last Ruby just had one look and then gave him a squeeze, and he was just different gear.
“I was very, very impressed with the way, after the last, he jumped into the bridle and quickened away and was getting nearly a length a stride (on the runner-up).
“He’s a fantastic jumper. He hurdles his fences, really, and they’re no effort to him. As Patrick said the last day, ‘he knows where his feet are all the time’. A lot of big horses are too gangly and awkward, but he’s not.
“He’s got a temperament like a pony, and I think that’s half the battle with him. He’s a docile horse, which means you can put him anywhere in a race when the time comes. He made the running today, but doesn’t have to.
“He could go back over hurdles and run in the Champion Hurdle, he has that sort of speed, and his ability to jump is like that too.”
Safe to assume the Arkle will be his next outing, and he’s now no bigger than 4-7 to secure back-to-back victories at the Festival, following last season’s victory in the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle.
A maiden hurdle at this track at the Christmas meeting proved key to the first two races. Don’t Touch It had finished runner-up to A Toi Phil on St Stephen’s Day, but got his turn with a bloodless victory in the opening race, while the latter followed up in the Grade 2 Novice Hurdle.
The opener was, for much of the journey, a two-horse race devolved into a runaway success for the Jessica Harrington-trained Don’t Touch It as he pulled clear up the straight to beat market rival Beau Mome by 13 lengths, un-extended.
“It was straightforward,” admitted Harrington. “Ruby put it up to our horse, but he put it to bed fairly quickly, coming into the straight. They seemed to go a good gallop all the way, just the two of them. He jumped great, but just fiddled the third-last. Barry (Geraghty) said he could have asked him to come up, but he didn’t want to do that so far out.
“It’s hard to say how good he’ll be, but I think he could be very good. I’ve always thought he had a lot of gears, and he’s just been a but leery more than anything else. He probably should have won at Gowran, but he looked at the last hurdle rather too long. He’s been learning all the time.”
A Toi Phil had looked to have his quirks, but racing experience is having a positive effect, and he produced his most polished display to date when taking the second race in fine style. Acapella Bourgeois tried to make all but the winner, the easy-to-back 6-4 favourite, travelled best, edged ahead before the third-last, and then quickened into the straight to set up a seven-length victory over the early leader.
“The last twice he was running all over the place coming up the straight, but today was much better, so he’s improving,” said winning trainer Willie Mullins. “It was two and a half today, but he could go out to three miles, no problem.
“He’s a very accurate jumper, and will be entered in all the novice hurdles in Cheltenham. We’d prefer to go the Neptune trip (2m4f) of the Albert Bartlett (3m).
“He’s unusual for a French horse, insofar as he wasn’t broken until he was four. He was quite a cheap purchase as people must have felt that, because of his age, there was something wrong with him. He’s more like a French three-year-old: he’s still babyish, and that showed in his first couple of outings.”
The Gigginstown House Stud-owned six-year-old is now a 14-1 chance for the Neptune.
The Mooch produced a game display to take the Sandyford Handicap Chase for Paul Nolan, whose string has struck form in recent weeks. Ridden by talented young rider Jonathan Moore, he relinquished his lead but battled back to deny Just Get Cracking by a neck.
Karl Thornton is a trainer on an upward curve and the Dublin handler earned a visit to the winner’s enclosure when Bearly Legal, in the hands of Donagh Meyler, pulled clear late to beat top-weight Kayf Supreme in the Colours Bar Handicap Chase.
We’ve become accustomed to Willie Mullins dominating the big days, and when Village Mystic took the concluding bumper under trainer’s son Patrick, it was the completion of a four-timer, the accumulative odds for which were less than 9-2.
