ENERGUMENE (169+) put up a display of supremacy in the Ryanair Novice Chase that left the impression he would have been a serious rival to Shishkin had injury not prevented him from taking his place in the Arkle at Cheltenham.

Paul Townend wasted no time in sending his mount to the lead, gradually stretching his rivals with fluent jumping aligned to the powerful galloping trait that has become the feature of his performances.

A sectional comparison against the two-mile handicap won by Sully D’Oc AA (141) displayed the uphill task that Captain Guinness faced trying to keep tabs on the Willie Mullins-trained gelding. After allowing both races to gain full stride and reach the first fence, the time difference between the two events reaching the fourth last was 5.4 seconds, which is the equivalent of almost 30 lengths.

It would have been forgivable if the pace had relented from that point, but Energumene just kept pouring it on and still boasted reserves to come home 0.8 seconds faster for little or no pressure.

Stormy steps up

Saturday’s standout performance saw Stormy Ireland (149) step up on her Fairyhouse performance to land her first success at Grade 1 level when winning the Coolmore Irish EBF Mares Champion Hurdle.

Trainer Willie Mullins expressed the view Stormy Ireland had improved since Fairyhouse where she had only achieved a par time for the grade as well as finishing very tired. However, the form of the race had been advertised by French Dynamite who ran well above that level when fourth to Klassical Dream in the Ladbrokes Champion Stayers Hurdle.

On this occasion the daughter of Motivator was spritely from start to finish with the decisiveness of her victory a direct result of her finishing effort which was the fastest of the day on the hurdles track.

Danny Mullins was again seen to good effect from the front, as he was on day one aboard Colreevy, setting a pace at which his mount was always operating within her comfort zone. In the main, the seven-year-old hurdled with fluency ensuring the pursuers were only allowed to close when Mullins paused the pace running to the fourth last.

Mullins pressed the go button from that point and found his partner more than willing as the pair sprinted clear, covering the distance from the third last to the line 3.4 seconds or 17 lengths quicker than Jeff Kidder (140) who won the Grade 1 juvenile hurdle on the same card.

Minella Melody (142) also finished to good effect to prove her Cheltenham run all wrong and posted her best performance on the clock since winning the Solerina Mares Novice Hurdle in 2020. A closer inspection of the seven-year-old’s form suggests she is better suited by right-handed tracks.

Concertista (139) was probably caught out by the injection of speed from her stablemate and would also appreciate a return to softer ground.