A Sunday five-timer at odds of 1,739-1 brought Willie Mullins’s tally for the 2023 Dublin Racing Festival to a staggering eight winners, six of which were at the top level and included yesterday’s feature, the Chanelle Pharma Irish Champion Hurdle with State Man.
Who knows if the Joe and Marie Donnelly-owned gelding is good enough to down Constitution Hill but his progression is such we can say with some certainty that he is a credible challenger.
Mullins had previously voiced concerns about his jumping, but whatever work is being done to bring improvement in that department is certainly working.
Paul Townend settled him in front and his jumping was an asset as market rival and three-time winner of this race Honeysuckle spent a little more time in the air than did the leader.
The race was still on as the small field turned for home, but one felt Townend always had the measure of those behind. The rapidly improving six-year-old quickened up to take complete control early in the straight and ran stoutly to the line to win readily.
As we’d expect from a champion, Honeysuckle didn’t buckle, and she held second place, half a length in front of Vauban but four and a quarter lengths behind the winner. The third-placed runner made an early mistake, became extremely keen as a result, and ran a super race to finish as close as he did.
“Paul surprised me when he came into the parade ring and he said he was going to make it,” admitted Mullins. “He didn’t see much to make it, so I said to do that, and it worked out. The horse is not used to being in front, but he jumped well enough in front and Paul thought he was a bit idle. But he did it well, and you couldn’t ask for any more.
“When he has to be sharp, he’s well able to jump, and I thought he jumped like a Champion Hurdle horse all the way down the back. Paul asked him some big questions and he came up every time. I was very happy.”
Bookmakers reacted to the performance by cutting the winner to 10-3 for the Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham, with Constitution Hill no bigger than 1-3.
Mullins’ Gentleman De Mee upset stablemate and long odds-on favourite Blue Lord in the Grade One Ladbrokes Dublin Chase. With Danny Mullins, who would later double up, deputising for Mark Walsh, the eventual winner raced close to the pace throughout and by the time 1-4 chance Blue Lord made a mistake at the second-last, the writing was almost on the wall.
The latter tried but never really threatened to get back on terms as Mullins punched out the JP McManus-owned Gentleman De Mee to a seven-length victory.
Said the winning trainer: “Disappointed with Blue Lord, but fantastic for Gentleman De Mee and great for Danny, who I thought was very brave on him. He was asking him all the way down the back and the horse was loving it, responding to him. I thought it was a terrific performance.”
The Champion Chase must now be on the agenda for the winner, though Mullins remains firmly in favour of Energumene, despite that one’s reverse in the Clarence House.
“I haven’t thought about it, but I’m not going beyond Energumene for the time being, anyhow,” said Mullins. “But you need plenty of horses for races and if they all get there, I’ll be delighted. They’re all entitled to take their chance.”
Danny’s double and Willie’s third winner of the afternoon came in the Tattersalls Ireland Novice Hurdle, the race in which Facile Vega relinquished his unbeaten record.
From an early stage, the 4-9 favourite went toe to toe with classy Flat performer High Definition but the latter made a bad mistake before halfway and unseated his rider, leaving Facile Vega clear.
However, it wasn’t long afterwards that some distress signals began to show, and by the time they turned for home, Danny, riding 14-1 chance Il Etait Temps, was travelling all over the leader.
As Facile Vega backed out, clearly not running to form, Il Etait Temps quickened clear to beat Inthepocket by 10 lengths. The winning time was almost three seconds quicker than that posted by State Man in the Champion Hurdle.
“Brilliant weekend,” said the winning rider. “Just riding good horses, that’s the main part of it. There was no fluke about that fright he gave Facile Vega at Christmas - the writing was on the wall for the clever ones to see it.
“Going by the second-last hurdle, I knew Paul was probably in trouble, but it was still plenty soon to be in front. But my jumping down the back put me there and, in fairness to him, he kept galloping well. It would have taken a good one to beat him, anyway.”
Willie Mullins made it four on the day when Gaelic Warrior made light of top weight in the Festina Lente Charity Liffey Handicap Hurdle, and four quickly became five when Fun Fun Fun wrapped up a brilliant weekend’s action with a facile success in the Grade Two Coolmore NH Sires Santiago Irish EBF Mares’ Bumper.
* A Sunday crowd of 16,830 brought the weekend aggregate to 34,951, almost 10,000 up on the same weekend last year. Leopardstown reported that almost one quarter of the patrons were from the UK, clearly indicating growing interest in the meeting.
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