Mr Mills

(Eddie Power)

Dundalk, November 21st

It’s very rare that horses running off a mark of 41 on the flat get a mention in this column, but Mr Mills feels worthy of inclusion after nearly recording his first win since July 2023 at Dundalk on Friday of last week. The seven-year-old is now onto his third trainer in a little more than a year and this was his best run in more than two years.

There appeared to be some expectation that this improved showing was on the cards too, judging by the market (backed into 10/1 from as big as 50/1 in the morning, and opened at 14/1 in the ring). That money was nearly very well placed. This was the first time that Wayne Lordan had ridden for Eddie Power and that positive booking helped contribute to a fine second behind a thoroughly unexposed 3/1 shot, who had fired a warning shot on handicap debut here a fortnight earlier.

Three-year-olds are always dangerous in handicaps over extended distances like this one (run over a mile and a half) and Power’s older challenger was unlucky to bump into one on the night. Behind him in third was Syosset, a winner on his previous outing at this track, so there is likely some substance to the form for the grade.

The handicapper has given Mr Mills a chance by raising him only 1lb to 42, and there’s little reason why he can’t go one better here over the coming weeks, if finding a similarly suitable opportunity. He’s only run four times in handicaps at Dundalk in his life, posting form figures of 2142, so he clearly operates well around here, and his last win, albeit two years ago, came off 11lb higher than his current mark.

He’s no star, but there should be a race to be won with him at his level this winter.

Kaid d’Authie

(Willie Mullins)

Punchestown, November 22nd

By his usual exceptional standards, it’s been a slightly up and down run for Willie Mullins’ troops in the past week or so. On one hand, he captured both the Morgiana and John Durkan at Punchestown last weekend, with those success stories among eight winners he’s had since last weekend. However, he’s also had a number of short-priced defeats.

At Thurles, Salvator Mundi was turned over (admittedly by a stablemate) at 1/7, Jade De Grugy was beaten at 2/7 at Cork, Green Splendour (8/13) and Fun Fun Fun (5/6) were disappointing at Punchestown, Kiss Will was only third at evens at Fairyhouse and Mahon Falls had no answer to Barra Rua at 11/10 at Tramore. All in all, as we’ve seen over many years, his runners are not typically wound up to be near peak performance at this time of year.

With that in mind, and the fact he’s such a strapping sort who would be entitled to come on for his first run of the season, there ought to be plenty of positivity surrounding the comeback second of Mullins’ Kaid d’Authie at Punchestown in a traditionally hot beginners’ chase last Saturday. The winner, last season’s Grade 3 Red Mills Trial Hurdle winner Kitzbuhel, is rated 153 over hurdles, which is clearly a smart standard to meet in any beginners’ chase, and the runner-up gave him plenty to think about.

Kaid d’Authie’s jumping wasn’t always impressive over hurdles. The J.P. McManus-owned five-year-old probably didn’t fully respect the smaller obstacles, and it was a fair sign of the ability he holds that he was able to overcome a poor round of jumping to win at the Punchestown Festival when last seen. This effort indicated he has a brighter future ahead of him over fences now, and he shouldn’t have to wait long to win a beginners’ chase of his own.

Having won a maiden hurdle at Leopardstown last Christmas, perhaps it wouldn’t be a shock if he ended up there for a crack at a beginners’ chase over the festive period.

Moon Mission

(Philip Rothwell)

Thurles, November 27th

The two-mile maiden hurdle for four-year-olds at Thurles on Thursday was anything but a competitive race. Le Divin Enfant was sent off the 1/6 favourite for Willie Mullins and Paul Townend, and was able to saunter to a 23-length success, with little ever looking like threatening him at any point.

However, a whole 35 lengths back in third, there was an eye-catching effort from the Philip Rothwell-trained Moon Mission, who might be worth sticking into the notebook for a handicap assignment in time. The Sea The Moon gelding is out of a half-sister to Grade 1-winning juvenile hurdlers A Wave Of The Sea and Hello Neighbour, and had shown definite flickers of promise in some of his bumper runs earlier this year.

He didn’t run badly without ever looking dangerous on his hurdling bow here at Thurles a week earlier, beaten 28 lengths in mid-field, but he made smart headway from way back this time, staying on into the frame. Jockey Shane O’Callaghan reported that his mount was “dropped out to get him to switch off and jumping, which he did before passing tired horses, coming home one-paced”. It was still an effort that suggested there are races to be won with him in the future.

Looking at the sectional times from Coursetrackgives an idea of the type of ground he made up. Through the final half mile, Moon Mission came home in 54.75 seconds. That is considerably quicker than the next fastest through the closing stages, the winner doing so in 57.12 seconds. Fairlander was the next quickest in 58.06 seconds.

Using Timeform’s lengths-to-seconds ratio for ground like we had at Thurles, that equates to Moon Mission being roughly nine and a half to 10 and a half lengths faster than the winner, who ultimately was allowed to coast home in his own time. But he was also approximately 13 to 15 lengths quicker than the next fastest in the race through the final half mile, Fairlander.

It points to a run that can be marked up from a four-year-old who will be of interest in handicap company when fully getting the hang of things.