JUST like he ended the previous National Hunt season, Willie Mullins was again an unstoppable force in the first major pot of autumn as Spanish Harlem finally came good on the big stage to deliver a front-running Guinness Kerry National triumph at 16/1.

The master of Closutton supplied the Listowel Harvest Festival feature favourite, You Oughta Know (9/2), but hopes of Paul Townend capturing the prize on the market leader came unstuck six fences from home when exiting at the same point as Pied Piper.

From that stage on, it felt as though very little was going to get involved from off the pace and Danny Mullins had been positive on the winner - long thought of as a talented individual but capable of having a jumping mistake in his locker from time to time.

One of his biggest dangers, San Salvador, was shaping like a massive threat when taking a heavy fall at the third last (reportedly walked away okay) and last season’s Bet365 Gold Cup fourth was in full flow from before the turn in. He kept up the gallop to beat a solid yardstick in Gordon Elliott’s Three Card Brag (9/1) by four and a half lengths.

French Dynamite didn’t help his cause by over-racing for much of the journey, but ran a cracker in third on debut for Eric McNamara at 18/1.

Spanish Harlem carries the colours of Randox’s Dr Peter FitzGerald, and a crack at that firm’s sponsored Grand National at Aintree next spring sounds like the long-term plan. He earned an introductory Liverpool quote of 40/1 from William Hill following this performance.

Speaking after his fourth Kerry National win, following Euro Leader (2005), Bother Na (2006) and Cabaret Queen (2020), Willie Mullins said: “We pushed the boat out and bought this fellow in France a few years ago [for €360,000] and it’s taken a while for him to come to fruition. I’m hoping now that he might go the whole way and maybe run in the Grand National.

“We have a couple of races to go before that, maybe something like the Munster National or the Coral Gold Cup in Newbury could suit on the way. He seems to like nice ground, lots of jumping and three miles plus. Danny wanted to give him plenty of daylight. I think this horse doesn’t like being crowded.

Experience key

“To me, he had all the experience coming here that you need to win these big handicap chases. You Oughta Know is a lovely horse, a brilliant jumper and had a nice weight but he hadn’t got the experience - that told here. When the pace increased going away from the winning post out onto the final circuit, he came down at the next fence.

“Spanish Harlem has paid his dues and been in these races before. He made one or two mistakes and, when he can iron out those, I think he could be a player on the bigger stage. This is a hell of a race to win.”

Danny Mullins, second and third in two of the last three Kerry Nationals, felt the race changed complexion when San Salvador crashed out.

“I thought he was going to be my only danger,” said the winning rider.

“I had filled the tank and he quickened well. From the mistakes in the mid-part of the race, he learned and attacked the last two fences well. He put the race to bed. We always believed in this fella. The ability was always there, he just took a while to learn. I’m glad he’s gone and won a big one for all connections. It’s been a few years since I won this race on Faltering Fullback for Eric McNamara [in 2012]. I had a bit more of a babyface in those photos!”

Jack Kennedy, rider of Three Card Brag, said: “It was a very good run from him. I couldn’t have asked for much better, really, and everything went to plan. He jumped and travelled great, I was where I wanted to be the whole way. The winner just quickened up off the bend and we probably stayed galloping. There should be days to look forward to with him after this.”

Connections of 10-year-old French Dynamite, bought for €40,000 in May, earned back €20,000 in prize money immediately here and ought to have plenty of fun with the former Paddy Power Gold Cup winner.

“He was too keen all the way,” said McNamara. “He [Gary Noonan] kind of kicked him out the gate and possibly if he sat on him he’d have settled better but I’m not going to criticise him - it’s just the way it worked out and hindsight is a great thing.

“It’s great to have a horse like him who can run in these bigger races. He’ll run in the Munster National next, all being well, and we’ll plot our way from there.”

Silver success

On another day, it could have turned out to be an outstanding afternoon’s work for the family of San Salvador, as his three-parts-brother Duke Silver (9/2) produced a career-best performance to win the three-mile Devon Inn Dan Sheehan Memorial Handicap Hurdle for owner-breeder Sarah O’Brien.

Fourth at the Galway Festival last time, he looked set for a tussle with 3/1 favourite Bitofajokelike on the run-in but that rival sadly suffered a fatal injury when facing a stern challenge from the Joseph O’Brien-trained winner.

Winning rider J.J. Slevin said: “Duke Silver was in good form at home and we were hoping for a good run coming here. He got into a nice rhythm. We didn’t go that quick and I sat nice and handy. He fought them off well. The ground isn’t deep but it’s dead and taxing. He coped with it and put up a good performance.”