Appreciate It headlines Thurles treble for absent Mullins
STILL GOT IT: Appreciate It and Paul Townend win for trainer Willie Mullins. Pic: Healy Racing
He wasn’t physically present at Thurles on Sunday but that didn’t stop Willie Mullins from making his presence felt.
The perennial champion trainer is currently on holiday but his absence hasn’t affected the form of his all-powerful team and a treble was bagged with a minimum of fuss, headlined by Appreciate It winning the Grade Two Horse & Jockey Hotel Chase for the second successive year.
The 2021 Supreme Novices’ Hurdle hero is now a 12-year-old but he retains all his enthusiasm for the game, a reality he illustrated by justifying even-money favouritism in front of a big Thurles crowd.
Always prominent, Appreciate It hit the front before the fifth last and cruised home from there, crossing the line 12 lengths in front of James Du Berlais with Gentleman De Mee, another stablemate, a further 11 lengths back in third.
“Appreciate It has just been such a good servant all his life, he still shows huge enthusiasm for racing and he’s a joy to ride, push-button stuff,” winning jockey Paul Townend said. “He’s like a big armchair, he’s a big, big unit of a horse but he’s so consistent.”
In the other Grade Two on the card, the Carey Glass Irish EBF Mares Novice Chase, Jade De Grugy made it third time lucky over fences when sauntering to an 18-length success.
A dual Grade One winner over hurdles, she disappointed on her fencing debut when third to Kala Conti in Mallow before being outstayed by The Big Westerner at Limerick at Christmas.
However, there was nothing of that calibre in opposition in Thurles and she cruised to victory in the manner one would expect from a 1-7 shot.
“We were disappointed with her at Mallow the first day though Kala Conti has won again since,” Townend said. “I’d say she was just outstayed by a good mare in Limerick and it was much more straightforward here.”
Asked if Sunday’s display represented an improvement on her performance at Christmas, Townend replied: “I’d say the run in Limerick was as good as today, I’d say the one that beat her is a fair sort.”
Espresso Milan provided the first-leg of the Closutton treble when producing an impressive performance to run out a four-length winner of the W.T. O'Grady & E.J. O'Grady Memorial Irish EBF Novice Hurdle.
“He’s a smashing horse,” Townend said of the 5-6 winner. “Probably the old cliché: Whatever he does over hurdles will be a bonus. He’s a chaser in the way he jumps but we won’t leave what he going to do over hurdles behind us either. I just thought he went through the race very easily. I was able to put him where I wanted. He did things nicely, the trip was no bother. He’s a fine horse.”
The opening race of the day, the Connolly's RED MILLS Irish EBF Auction Maiden Hurdle, produced a cracking finish as 10-1 shot Hillberry Hill swooped late to lands the spoils for Mags and Danny Mullins.
Forty Coats was sent off the 4-9 favourite and for much of the contest it looked like Ifallgoeswell was going to be his sole threat but Hillberry Hill stayed on powerfully after the last flight to win by a length and a quarter.
“I’m delighted, he’s an improving horse,” Mags Mullins said. “You’d have to be delighted with him. I expected he’d improve from the Clonmel run (when sixth on debut), I was delighted with him at home. I’d say he’s a nice horse.”
The Emmet Mullins-trained Rising Dust defied a 15lb hike to win the Support Thurles Bookmakers Handicap Chase, his third consecutive win at the Tipperary venue.
Mullins’ partner Maxine O’Sullivan said of the 3-1 winner: “He was brilliant again. He just never lies down, he’s so tough. He obviously went up a lot for the last day and we thought we were up against it today but he did it again and Donagh (Meyler, jockey) was very happy with him.” Martin Brassil has Cheltenham aspiration for Panda Boy after 10-year-old’s gutsy victory in the finale, the SIS Supporting Irish Racing Hunters Chase.
“He was bought with the Foxhunters in mind, so we’ll see what we have to do to get him qualified now,” Brassil said. “He needs another one of these or an Open point-to-point to qualify, so Cheltenham is the plan.”
