Mullins baffled King Rasko Grey travelled under radar
King Rasko Grey with Jody and Paul Townend and Audrey Turley after winning the Turners Novices' Hurdle (Grade 1). Pic: Healy Racing Photo
It’s not every day a horse trained by Willie Mullins and the chosen mount of Paul Townend can be backed at odds of 11-1 for a Grade One contest at the Cheltenham Festival. Especially not when the horse in question, King Rasko Grey, had proven Grade One form in the book having only gone down by a half-length at the Dublin Racing Festival (DRF) on his previous start.
But that was the case in the Turners Novices’ Hurdle as the Paul Nicholls-trained No Drama This End was backed off the boards for the opening race on day two of the Festival, going off at odds of 5-2 to get the better of 20 rivals.
Favourite-backers knew their fate early as No Drama This End never threatened to land a telling blow and was eventually pulled up before the last.
In contrast, King Rasko Grey, in the colours made famous by dual Cheltenham Gold Cup hero Galopin Des Champs, was always travelling kindly for Townend and he kept up the gallop all the way to the line to beat Act Of Innocence by two and a half lengths and give his jockey a 40th Festival success.
“The price was the most striking thing, I couldn’t believe it.” Mullins said. “I looked at the big screen after the race and I couldn't believe he was 11-1. I thought he was one of ours coming here with a really good chance.
“You never have a banker coming to Cheltenham but I thought he would be 2-1 or 3-1 max after his run at the Dublin Racing Festival.
“I said after Leopardstown that he would step forward. I thought he was a little short going into that and I expected him to improve. We just got down to seriously working him after the DRF.
“I think Paul chose to ride this horse straight away, there was no debate, and I thought the same — to me this fellow was head and shoulders above a lot of the horses here.”
For his part, Townend felt the DRF run made a man of King Rasko Grey.
“I love this horse. I came in and said to Willie after Leopardstown last time: ‘I can’t believe he finished third’. But it made a man of him that day. He’s still a little babyish, but it brought him on a lot. He’s a very exciting horse, I promise you that.”
It wasn’t all sweetness and light.
Act Of Innocence jockey Nico de Boinville and Declan Queally, the rider of I’ll Sort That who finished fifth, clashed before and after the race, the spat sparked by a row as they faced the starter and continued in post-race interviews with Matt Chapman on ITV. They weren’t the only ones left frustrated by a messy starting procedure.
While insisting he wasn’t blaming anyone, No Drama This End part-owner Max McNeill put the blame for the start at the door of the Irish jockeys, suggesting it was a deliberate tactic.
He said: “I think they should have given them another chance to walk in again at the start. If they don’t do it the first time, they should tell them off and do it again.
“The Irish jockeys know what they are doing and they are going to make it as difficult for the class horse in the race as possible. I’m not blaming anyone. The horse wasn’t good enough on the day but we live to fight another day. I’m not blaming Harry (Cobden) at all as it was a lottery at the start. We’ll dust ourselves down and come again.”
