SHE had missed one or two engagements on fast ground, but Willie Mullins’ Laurina returned to the track last Saturday and easily accounted for Sensulano in the Listed Unibet Mares’ Hurdle at Sandown.

It was a match after the withdrawals of Smaoineamh Alainn and Got Away, which was a pity, but the important thing was for the mare to demonstrate her wellbeing.

This she did by making all the running and pulling away for Ruby Walsh to score by 48 lengths from a tired rival. She started at 1/8, though the betting had no relevance.

Laurina is unbeaten in five outings since joining Mullins from Guillaume Macaire. She won the Grade 2 mares’ novices’ hurdle at Cheltenham very easily in March and followed up at Grade 1 level at Fairyhouse. It looks as if she will be trained for the Champion Hurdle, which is quite possibly the only race calculated to have her at full stretch.

“Cheltenham is the plan and I don’t think giving her another run is all that important,” Mullins said. “She’ll be entered for the Irish Champion Hurdle but it may come too soon. Ruby said every time he took a pull she wanted to go faster and, at this stage of her career she must be as good or better than any of them.”

Given that the trainer has had Annie Power and Quevega through his hands that is quite a compliment and it looks as if Laurina will provide the main threat to Buveur D’Air’s triple Champion Hurdle bid.

She is generally a 7/2 chance for the big one in a few weeks’ time, though it should be noted that Mullins, generally more than happy to give the media the information it needs, stopped short of confirming the Champion as a definite target.

Houblon another for Venetia

VENETIA Williams has emerged from a quiet spell to send out a stream of winners, including Houblon Des Obeaux, who landed the Unibet Veterans’ Handicap Chase over three miles. This was the final of the series with a remarkable £61,000 plus going to successful owners Julian Blackwell and Mrs Angus Maclay.

Houblon Des Obeaux had run well for a long way in several prestigious long-distance chases and there was steady backing for him throughout the day down to 7/1 on course.

Moving up at the 11th, he chased the 13-year-old Loose Chips until leading and pulling well clear for Charlie Deutsch four from home. The lead was down to three lengths when the luckless Buywise, steadily closing the gap, fell heavily at the last and left the winner to come home 15 lengths clear of Theatre Guide with On Tour third.

Buywise, bidding to repeat last year’s victory, was back down to the same mark and, with the hill to help him, might have won again but, as many have pointed out, the game is about jumping and his one serious error settled the issue.

“I think, when these old horses drop a few pounds, it’s largely irrelevant,” Williams said. “It’s more a question of what frame of mind they’re in and how happy they are. Houblon Des Obeaux was in a very good frame of mind coming into it.”

The trainer’s comments are valid and she remains in a rich vein of form, with another winner at Wincanton later on and two more at Chepstow on Monday.

However, poundage still matters and Houblon Des Obeaux was 8lbs lower than when finishing sixth in this veterans’ race last year. He is a real old-fashioned chaser and was winning for the 10th time overall. With a prize like this, he hardly needs to achieve any more at the age of 12.

MOORE GOING WELL

Gary Moore is another trainer in excellent fettle and he and son Jamie completed a double with Darebin and Larry.

Darebin, 7/2, made all in the Unibet Handicap Chase over two miles and had just enough left to deny Nicholls’ even-money favourite Capeland by half a length in a four-runner field.

Always very frank about his horses, Moore senior said of the winner, “He’s a 120 horse through and through, no better and no worse,” but he can see Larry improving enough to make the line-up for the Close Brothers Handicap Chase at Cheltenham.

Still only six, Larry recovered from a stumble at the first in the 32Red Handicap Chase over two and a half miles and jumped much better before coming home seven lengths ahead of Henderson’s Darius Des Bois.

“He’ll need to be rated around 140 (128 now) to get in,” the trainer commented.