TOM Mullins has enjoyed a fine campaign to date, the highlight of which was the victory of Spider Web in the Muster National at Limerick and the eight-year-old goes in search of another big prize in the Troytown Chase at Navan tomorrow.
“We’ve had a good season and between them, Spider Web and Court Maid have won over €100,000 and hopefully there is more to come from the pair of them,” Mullins stated.
Spider Web will be one of two runners in the Troytown for Mullins who’ll also run another fine servant in Grand Partner. “We have some nice horses and we also have a couple of bumper horses that I think will win this season. We’d always have a few horses for sale and we are busy all year round.
“With the way the jumps game has gone, I was kind of forced into buying more flat horses. But now we have the Foran/EBF and Red Mills/EBF series for two-year olds and maiden hurdles, and that is the kind of initiative that will bring more people into the game and those two schemes have given trainers a real boost.
“Horses will only improve if they can win a race or two. To progress a young horse, you need to give them easier targets and now with the Red Mills series, you have a much better chance of winning a maiden hurdle. When they progress, they can run in better races.
“It’s very, very competitive in Ireland and I am not crying about that, but these series races give horses a great chance to improve and the initiative has to be applauded.”
ARCTIC LIGHT
6yo b g (U0-4102)
Iffraaj - Dance of Light
J.P. McManus
He is in good form but he is a bit ground dependant (two wins came on good ground). In that respect he is one you wouldn’t want teh ground to detoriate too much. If I can get him out on nice ground again before Christmas, I think he can win another handicap hurdle.
CHAVI ARTIST
5yo b g (7-050)
Presenting - Chavi
Mrs Helen Mullins
He is a grand horse that will run away in bumpers and maiden hurdles and I think in time, he’ll make into a grand handicapper in the New Year. He’ll handle soft ground and he’s a horse that I like and I’d say come next spring, he’ll be a horse that I hope will win a nice race.
COLOUR ME IN
3yo b f (800000)
Zoffany - I Tilda
Mrs Helen Mullins
She loves jumping. She didn’t show a great deal on the flat, but I think she’ll make into a nice handicap hurdler in time and we’re looking forward to getting her started today at Gowran Park.
Mullins is hopeful of obtaining black type with Court Maid Photo.carolinenorris.ie
COURT MAID
5yo b m (-21421)
Court Cave - She’s A Venture
Rory F Larkin
I have always thought a good bit of her, but it has just taken her a while to get her act together. She has won three this season and she was good for a filly running in her first handicap when she won on Sunday. She appreciated the step up in trip and she jumped well.
I’d be surprised if she didn’t develop into a filly that should pick up blacktype at some stage, but we’ll keep her to handicaps for the time being and she’ll be aimed at a nice race there at Leopardstown. I am not sure about real winter ground for her, they rarely get that at Leopardstown, but we might try her on soft ground somewhere after Christmas.
CRISTAL ICON
4yo b f (NH: 4-9098, F: 0900)
Sixties Icon - Cristal Island
Mrs Helen Mullins
She won her maiden hurdle by 17 lengths last march and then went on to be fourth in the Grade 1 juvenile hurdle at Aintree. She has had a break and we have just started back with her. If she is too high in the handicap, we might try her over fences. She likes winter ground.
EMILY SQUARE
5yo b m (NH: 27-F9, F: 9714)
Bushranger - Novelina
She could be a well-handicapped mare over hurdles, but she must have soft ground. She wouldn’t let herself down on the quick ground at Gowran and it was soft when she won at the Curragh earlier in the year.
GRAND PARTNER
10yo b g (NH: F-25P3, F: 4-406)
Millenary - Bens Partner
J Carthy
He had a lovely run when third last week at Punchestown and the aim is that he’ll run in the Troytown tomorrow. He goes on any ground and we might be over stepping it a bit by running him in a Troytown, but either way, we’ll have him back for Leopardstown at Christmas. He loves it up there – he’s won four there. He retains plenty of ability and enthusiasm and I think he’ll improve a bit when he goes left handed and more so, when he gets back to Leopardstown.
HER APPROVAL
3yo ch f (F: 04-508)
Approve - Alshimaal
Mrs Helen Mullins
She did okay on the flat and she’ll be start off juvenile hurdling today at Gowran. She is a great filly to jump and she seems to like the heavy ground so she’ll be better when the rain arrives.
LOCKEEN GIRL
8yo b m (70P1P33)
Beneficial - Lady Marnay
Adios Amigos Syndicate
She is improving and we’ll keep her on the go until Christmas time at least. For the last few months we had planned to give her a break, but she had a grand run last week at Thurles.
There is another day or two in her for sure and she remains on a nice enough mark.
LUCKY ICON
4yo b g (NH: 14646, F: 0-96)
Sixties Icon - Sauterelle
Mrs Helen Mullins
We gave him a break for a month and he is back in a couple of weeks. He likes soft ground so we’ll try and have him ready to start back around Christmas time.
NAM
4yo ch c (F: 826618)
Sixties Icon - Namwa
Rory F Larkin
He has paid his way on the flat this year and he is another going hurdling. He seems to jump well and we’ll get him going in a maiden hurdle around Christmas time.
OSCAR KNIGHT
9yo b g (102B3-8P)
Oscar - Cool Supreme
J.P. McManus
He went home for a break and I am expecting him back any day now. I’d imagine that you’d be looking at races like the Irish Grand National for him. He has run twice in the National and he unseated last year and got brought down this year, so hopefully he’ll get around this season.
Our Legend heads to Fairyhouse next weekend and could be a Triumph Hurdle horse Photo: carolinenorris.ie
OUR LEGEND
3yo b g (NH: 422, F: 9400)
Finsceal Fior - Thrift
Mrs Helen Mullins
He has improved with every run over hurdles and he’ll go to Fairyhouse for the Grade 3 juvenile hurdle tomorrow week. He is not the easiest of rides, but he is getting better with every run and either way, he’ll be another that we’ll have for Leopardstown at Christmas. He is still a maiden, so if he managed to win at Fairyhouse, he’ll go for the Grade 2 on Stephens Day – he might run in that anyway, we’ll just see how next weekend goes. Long term, you’d be hoping that he’ll be a Triumph or a Fred Winter horse. The hurdles are helping him to settle. He won’t handle very heavy ground, but he’ll go on just about everything else.
PRINCELY CONN
9yo b g (NH: 1263/, F: 24/3-)
Whitmore’s Conn - High Priestess
J.P. McManus
He had a year off but he is back on the go now and he’ll be going novice chasing. He was a good horse for us over hurdles, so hopefully we’ll get a clear run with him and he could be a nice novice chaser for us over the winter. He is very close to a run.
ROCKY BLUE
3yo ch g (NH: 2, F: 2221)
Society Rock - Plumbago Blue
Rory F Larkin
I was thrilled with his run to be second to Get Trumped at Punchestown the other day. I think he could be a Triumph Hurdle horse, but he isn’t a horse for real winter ground. I’ll try and find a maiden hurdle for him this side of Christmas and he is another that we’ll aim at Leopardstown – either the Grade 2 or a maiden hurdle. He was very good over the third and second last at Punchestown and overall, I was very happy with him. I think he’ll make into a proper hurdle horse.
SCOIR MEAR
8yo gr g (452P7-7)
Exit To Nowhere - Princess Rosie
J.P. McManus
He ran fine the other day and there should be a nice chase in him. He’s still a novice, but that is a serious division again this season. He seems to handle soft ground.
SHES GOLD
3yo b f (NH: 0, F: 3609)
Jeremy - Shes Silver
Mrs Helen Mullins
I think a lot of her and I think she’ll be up to winning a three-year-old hurdle reasonably soon. She jumps very well and she is another that might be aimed at something at Leopardstown or we might look for a maiden hurdle for her, this side of Christmas.
SPIDER WEB
7yo g (161-2F1)
Presenting - Poetics Girl
J.P. McManus?I was delighted to see the rain arrive earlier this week, as that will make sure that he’ll run in the Troytown tomorrow. He was good in the Munster National and I’ve been very happy with him since. His work has been very good and I suppose we’ll see how Sunday goes, but you’d be looking at the Paddy Power at Christmas after this. We’ll give him a break after Christmas and hopefully he might get into the Irish National with a nice weight on his back. He stays well and he appreciates a bit of nice ground, so I’d doubt if he’ll be on the go on the bad ground there in the New Year.
STREAK
8yo b m (NH: 7-008, F: 0097)
Marju - Eliza Gilbert
Mrs Helen Mullins
She has had her problems and we got her wind done, so hopefully that might do the job for her. She’ll run away over hurdles.
TARA DYLAN
6yo b m (NH: 263, F: 500-0)
Dylan Thomas - Tara’s Wells
Melvyn J Kennedy
She has come back from a colic in May and she is just not in form yet. I am hoping that we’ll have her in better from for Christmas, but she’ll go for the good handicap hurdle at Fairyhouse next weekend. She is a good mare and we just have to be patient with her. She wouldn’t be one for soft ground.
UNO MOMENTO
4yo b g (NH: 09, F: 0-908
Casamento - Kuwinda
Melvyn J Kennedy
We’ve had to be patient with him. He is improving and it has taken a while just to get his head right.
He is nearly there now to start doing something. Two miles and soft ground is what he wants.