Willie Mullins dominates on day one at Listowel
UP AND OVER: Ocastle Des Mottes and Paul Townend jump the last to win the Kinisla Kerrymaid Rated Novice Chase at Listowel on Sunday. Picture: Healy Racing
Champion trainer Willie Mullins made a flying start to the 2026 Harvest Festival on Listowel, bagging a Sunday treble with Run Ted Run, Ocastle Des Mottes, and Green Hint.
The Closutton haul also produced doubles for stable jockey Paul Townend and owners Simon Munir and Isaac Souede.
Ocastle Des Mottes, off the mark over fences in Galway two weeks ago, proved the middle leg of the treble, producing a fine display of jumping to see off Apple’s Of Bresil and Sky Lord in the Kinisla Kerrymaid Rated Novice Chase.
“That’s a nice follow-up from Galway and proved his versatility, on a very different track,” said Mullins. “He likes that trip and would prefer more dig in the ground. He’s a free-going two-miler.”
Running in his third bumper, Green Hint, also in the Munir/Souede colours, proved a facile winner of the fianle, stretching clear in the straight to slam market rival Sir Vinny by seven and a half lengths and justifying 8-13 favouritism.
“He’s a nice winter horse, but was ready earlier than we expected,” said the trainer. “He’ll improve away and I’ll talk to his owners about what they want to do, whether to go jumping or stay in bumpers. He might even be a Cheltenham Bumper horse.”
The Closutton treble and Townend’s double were sparked when Run Ted Run, narrow winner of a Galway bumper on his only start and sent off at 4-6, outpointed Too Hot To Trot in the Kinisla Dairygold Maiden Hurdle.
“He must be a fair machine, to be so wound-up and to jump and stay that well,” said Mullins. “It was a very brave performance. We’ll give him an easy time for a while and then find a nice novice for him.”
The season’s leading rider Darragh O’Keeffe seized an unexpected opportunity following an unfortunate incident in the parade-ring before the opening Kinisla Charleville Cheese 3-Y-0 Hurdle.
Mark Walsh sustained a leg injury, which caused him to be stood down for the day, when kicked by his intended mount, debutant Danny Power. And O’Keeffe deputised successfully for the Kildare man on both John Queally’s charge and Eric McNamara’s Tumbling In in the mares’ hurdle.
A handsome son of Blue Bresil, Danny Power bolted up by eight and a half lengths in the opener, prompting trainer Queally to state: “He’s a horse we’ve always liked. Mark [Walsh] has schooled him and was keen to ride him so I’m upset over what happened — it was untypical of the horse.
“The last time I won this race was with Al Eile back in 2003 and if this fellow turns out half as good as him, I’ll be happy. He could go to Cheltenham in November.”
O’Keeffe had a similarly straight-forward task steering Tumbling In (6-5 favourite) to a wide-margin victory over Le Nez Creux in the mares’ hurdle.
The Walk In The Park mare coasted home 16 lengths clear. And trainer Eric McNamara acknowledged: “She’s a lovely mare and I’m delighted to have her to train. She has improved with every run and every piece of work at home. And I’d like to think she’s not finished yet.” “Obviously, it’s unfortunate for Mark, but we got a very good substitute in Darragh. There’s a mares’ race that might suit her at Cheltenham’s November meeting.”
Described by his owner/trainer Barry Connell as “a young man’s ride”, Net Boy (12-1), under Sean Flanagan, produced a spectacular, bold-jumping display to land the featured, £40,000 Kinisla Handicap Chase, romping home nine lengths clear of Jalila Moriviere.
“He works to a same level as Apple’s Of Bresil, but he’s a real two-miler,” stated Connell. “He’s only had one and a half runs over fences — he pulled a shoe in Killarney and was pulled up.
“This was a valuable handicap and he did it well. He jumped the fences like hurdle and, hopefully will learn with racing. He’s a good ground, two-miler and you won’t see him on winter ground in January or February. I have a few races mapped out for him, including a 0-130 at Leopardstown over Christmas. And that might lead on to races like the Dan Moore.”
On a good day for County Waterford, handicap debutant Fraher Field, trained for the Flynns by John and Tom Kiely, landed the Kinisla Bloom Feeds Irish EBF Mares Handicap Hurdle in a blanket-finish, Alan O’Sullivan’s mount getting the nod by a short-head over Shirzan.
