Unibet Irish Gold Cup

(Grade 1)

A TOTAL of six ground-related withdrawals reduced the field for the meeting’s showpiece to just four, but to their credit Bellshill and Road To Respect served up a stirring finale which ended with the former crediting Willie Mullins with a 10th victory in the race.

Some 20 years previously Mullins won his first Irish Gold Cup with Florida Pearl and at the time it looked as if he might be the horse to give the trainer a first Cheltenham Gold Cup success. Alas the wait for a maiden success in that race goes on for the champion trainer, but Bellshill (2/1) has now joined the Savills Chase winner Kemboy and the Thyestes hero Invitation Only in giving Mullins an enviable Gold Cup team.

This four-runner affair will be some way removed from the white-hot competition of the Cheltenham, but the Ruby Walsh-ridden Bellshill produced a pleasing effort and over the last 12 months he has amassed a record which points to his prospects in the Cotswolds. His reappearance fourth behind Kemboy at Christmas was encouraging, and this was certainly better – it was characterised by a particularly impressive round of jumping.

ROCK-SOLID JUMPING

Bellshill’s stamina over three and a quarter miles is already assured. In coping with ground that was given as good, good-to-firm in places he has shown that all going comes alike to him, and his rock-solid jumping is another notable attribute. All this makes this Andrea and Graham Wylie a legitimate Gold Cup contender.

After Al Boum Photo, Anibale Fly, Balko Des Flos, Edwulf, Monalee, Noble Endeavor were all scratched because of the ground, the latest edition of the Gold Cup looked to come down to Bellshill and Road To Respect and they filled the first two placings at all stages. Bellshill made the running initially but Road To Respect then took over early on the final circuit.

The latter made a couple of mistakes and he was outjumped by Bellshill on a number of occasions. To his credit though Road To Respect found more every time he was joined, and even though Ruby Walsh exuded the utmost confidence in his mount, Bellshill had a little bit of work to do as the final fence loomed.

Road To Respect produced a bold jump there and landing running but there was a certain inevitability about Bellshill’s effort and he steadily moved alongside before nosing ahead in the last few strides. Just a short-head separated the front pair and there was a further gap of seven and a half lengths back to The Storyteller.

“I thought that Ruby was fantastic. He felt that there wasn’t much pace on so he was happy to let our horse stride along and then he was happy to take a lead when Road To Respect went on,” commented Mullins.

“What I liked was that every time Ruby asked him for a jump he took a couple of lengths out of the other horse. Ruby was very cool and confident over the last three fences and we got a great finish fought out by two quality horses.

“I thought this horse ran a lovely race at Christmas when he would have needed his run and he’s improved all the time since then. He’s an outstanding jumper and hopefully this will now leave him in good shape for Cheltenham. He’s a King’s Theatre so I had no problems running him on this ground.”

After notching up his third success in this race Ruby Walsh reflected: “When he last ran at Cheltenham in the RSA he didn’t have a good prep and you know for a lot of that RSA I thought that I’d beat Might Bite. He’ll go back to Cheltenham a stronger horse this year.”

Second Grade 1 for Bague

Flogas Novice Chase

(Grade 1)

THE distinction of being the first English-trained horse to win at the Dublin Racing Festival went to the admirable Warren Greatrex-trained mare La Bague Au Roi whose flawless first season over fences yielded a second top-level success.

Over the last few months the prolific daughter of Doctor Dino had accounted for most of the top English novice chasers and her presence here offered a chance to tie-in leading form lines on both sides of the Irish Sea. Unfortunately the ground meant that the major home hope Delta Work skipped this assignment, but his absence didn’t make it any easier for the 10/11 favourite who had to fight hard to beat the unconsidered Kaiser Black.

Richard Johnson made all the running on the market leader but by the time the pair neared the straight all five of their rivals were in contention. La Bague Au Roi came to the last needing a big jump and she produced a prodigious leap there to retain control.

This looked to have seen off the patiently ridden Hardline, but on the outer Kaiser Black finished off with quite a rattle and he went down by just a length and a quarter. Hardline was an honourable third, with Jetez taking fourth. Winter Escape was found to have bust a blood vessel following his fifth-place finish.

“From a long way out Richard was keen to have some company as she was quite idle in front and it was do or die with that jump at the last. I’m chuffed to bits that this plan has come off and I think it’s important to come here and support a meeting like this. It means a lot to get this right,” commented a delighted Greatrex.

“We’ve got a lot of options after this but she’s had a tough race there and Richard’s first reaction afterwards was to say not to go Cheltenham. She just might need a bit more time to get over this. Cheltenham is tempting but we just have to see. She’s a mare that gives you everything so she is going to need time after this and flat tracks do suit her so maybe it will be Aintree.”

Sir Erec nabs a smooth success

Tattersalls Ireland

Spring Juvenile

Hurdle (Grade 1)

HE was already among the foremost members of Joseph O’Brien’s impressive team of four-year-olds but Sir Erec provided a telling indicator of just how far he can go over timber as he raced to an ultra-smooth success.

In recent months O’Brien has produced one smart juvenile after another and the previous weekend the trainer’s Fakir D’Oudairies laid down quite a marker for the Triumph Hurdle with his victory at Cheltenham. However, that one will have much to fear from this J.P. McManus-owned gelding who disposed of a decent field with any amount to spare.

In the autumn Sir Erec was threatening to develop into a flat stayer of real quality and he has had little difficulty translating that form to this discipline.

On his debut at Christmas he did well to overcome some untidy jumping but he was altogether slicker this time as he made all the running under Mark Walsh.

The 13/8 favourite looked quite at home in front and at all stages he looked to be doing everything at his leisure. In a race that was hit by three ground-related withdrawals, Sir Erec turned for home with Surin and old rival Tiger Tap Tap in pursuit.

Both were still close enough as the last flight loomed but the favourite winged that hurdle and accelerated in some style to pull half a dozen lengths clear. His stablemate Gardens Of Babylon came through to secure second with Surin a further half a length back in third.

This display sees the son of Camelot deservedly topping the Triumph market and the omens are positive as this still unexposed colt will head to Cheltenham off a race that has produced four of the last six Triumph winners.

“You’d be over the moon with that. He jumped better today and it wouldn’t have been ideal making the running but he’s a grand uncomplicated horse,” stated O’Brien. “Mark said that at the second last when he headed the others behind him he just latched on to the bridle and the Triumph would make sense now.

“Ideally you’d like a bit more experience going to a Triumph but he’s good and he showed a lot of speed from the back of the last. You’d always have said stamina was his forte but he showed plenty of speed today.

“Gardens Of Babylon has the option of the Triumph but he is in the Supreme Novices’ as well.”

Klassical Dream comes out on top

Chanelle Pharma

Novice Hurdle

(Grade 1)

HIS maiden hurdle success at Christmas promised much and the Willie Mullins-trained Klassical Dream duly delivered at a much higher grade as he came out the right side of a titanic battle with stablemate Aramon.

This race promised to provide some clarity to a rather murky two-mile novice hurdling division and it served up an outcome which signalled that Mullins will head to next month’s Supreme Novices’ Hurdle with two live chances.

Prior to this race Aramon had produced the pick of the two-mile performances in Ireland this season when bolting up in a Grade 1 over this course and distance.

Ruby Walsh rode Aramon that day so the champion jockey’s decision to switch to the Joanne Coleman-owned five-year-old was noteworthy, to say the least, and Klassical Dream duly headed the market at 9/4. The Dream Well gelding duly rewarded his partner with a display that contained quality and determination in equal measure to emerge as one of the leading lights of the novice division.

Klassical Dream was able to dictate a tempo to suit himself and from before the turn in he appeared to have the measure of Vision D’Honneur whom he had back in fourth at Christmas. The race was far from over at this point though as Aramon was unleashed with a strong charge by Paul Townend. Aramon actually edged ahead on the run in but Klassical Dream refused to lie down and valiantly fought back to edge back into the lead in the final yards.

“I was going to be delighted with whichever horse won. We’d two excellent jockeys with two good mounts – it was a proper race and both will go on to Cheltenham,” remarked Mullins. “Klassical Dream won here at Christmas when everything didn’t go right for him and we felt he’d improved since then. Aramon has had plenty of racing and I was wondering whether to run him but the ground came right for him so we decided to let him take his chance. They are both very nice horses and I think on softer ground we will see further improvement from Klassical Dream.”

Afterwards the winning trainer was philosophical about the ground which led to 22 withdrawals over the course of the day.

“It’s very hard. We’re looking at year when I’ve never seen anything like it. We’ve had a dry summer, dry autumn and dry winter. Maybe we could have been watering but I’m thinking different people have different horses for ground and I looked at the ground and whatever way the ground came up I was hoping to have horses for the ground,” added the trainer.

REQUESTED

“That’s the way I’ve been looking at it rather than trying to say they should have watered. It’s one of those years in a lifetime, three lifetimes even. They choose not to water I don’t whether it was requested, they run the track, I run my yard and I didn’t feel it was my position to say it.

“They didn’t and we are in the situation we are in and we still have good horses running. I think track managers have enough on their plate and the trainers will want the ground for their horse. I’d rather leave it to the track to make their decision and concentrate on keeping my horses right and run them on the right ground.

“The track have a hard job to do. It’s just a very unusual year and very hard – if they watered the track and the heavens opened people would be giving out too. It’s just one of those years, it’s unfortunate. The ground has not got soft underneath, it has never softened at any stage during the whole year,” concluded Mullins.

Sassy Diva lands very lucrative prize

Rest Of Report

SASSY Diva gave Meath-based Shane Crawley a victory to cherish as she bagged a lucrative and memorable success for the young trainer in the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Paddy Mullins Mares Handicap Hurdle.

The eight-year-old daughter of Kalanisi, who is also owned by Crawley, looked quite nicely treated on a mark of 116 for her first handicap and she went off the 100/30 favourite to build on an excellent second to Honeysuckle at Thurles in December.

Sassy Diva wasn’t too fluent at the second last and had plenty to do from midfield nearing the straight but when she got into the clear for Donagh Meyler she finished with quite a flourish. She moved into a closing fourth at the final flight and powered home on the run-in to sweep by Cut The Mustard and prevail by two lengths.

“It was her first handicap run but she got a lovely ride and she had the classy to go and do it,” reflected Crawley who was recording by far his biggest win to date.

“I was delighted to see the ground the way it was as she’s got a low action and top of the ground suits her well and I was pleased with the mark she got before Honeysuckle won again last week. This time next year I’d say she will be going to Boardsmill Stud to be covered by Mount Nelson or Califet and we’ll keep her going for the time being.”

After watching his brother, Jack, enjoy a memorable weekend Paddy Kennedy then notched up the biggest victory of his career as he teamed up with Whisperinthebreeze in the Abbey International Leopardstown Handicap Chase.

On just his sixth outing over fences, the well-backed 7/1 chance produced a display that would have befitted a seasoned handicapper. In the colours of Alan and Ann Potts Limited, the grey led from early on and build up a commanding lead from the third last which his rivals could never quite bridge. Livelovelaugh closed-in somewhat from the turn-in but he could make no further inroads after the last and went down by three and three-quarter lengths.

“I was pretty confident today. I knew he’d love the ground because he won his point-to-point on good ground. He was the last horse that Alan Potts bought, off Timmy Hyde, and I was lucky enough to get him. He was literally in my yard a week before Alan died. It’s great that Stephanie his daughter is over here today,” declared Mrs Harrington.

“We had sort of thought about the four-miler at Cheltenham but I definitely wouldn’t be going if there was too much soft in the ground. He’s a smashing horse, he’s just turned six, so he could be a horse that might run in the Irish National if he gets into it.”

She looked a real prospect when making a winning debut at Fairyhouse two months ago and Santa Rossa (3/1) more than delivered on that initial promise in the Grade 2 Coolmore N.H. Sures Irish EBF I.N.H. Flat Race.

Twelve months ago this race was won by the subsequent Cheltenham heroine Relegate and when it was run at Fairyhouse in 2017 it went to Fayonagh. So if connections of this Jeremy filly were minded to try their hand in top-class open company she could be more than a match for quality geldings.

Santa Rossa, who was looking to enhance Finny Maguire’s splendid record at this track, was under pressure to close down Jeremys Flame off the last bend and she did so in fine style before drawing away in the final furlong. At the line the Tilly Conway-owned and bred mare had three and a quarter lengths to spare over the staying-on Bigadandbeautiful.

“Finny said she was still quite green and she was a bit keen too so he was wondering how much he’d have left in the straight but she’s a very smart mare,” declared Dermot Loughlin.

“The only times she’s been on grass has been her two races and more juice in the ground will help. I’ll talk to the owner about plans.”

Dallas Des Pictons (7/2) looks to have booked his place in one of the handicap at Cheltenham with a very game display in the three-mile William Fry Handicap Hurdle. As he looked to build on a smooth maiden hurdle triumph at Punchestown last month, the Gigginstown House Stud-owned gelding looked quite at home on his first handicap outing.

He moved to the head of tightly packed field early in the straight and then answered Jack Kennedy’s every call from the last to the line to hold the oncoming Calie Du Mesnil by a neck.

“He’s a grand horse who has improved with every run so far and I think he’ll make a nice chaser next season. To be honest he’d have to improve a fair bit on this to be more than a handicapper so we’ll stick him in a few of the handicaps at Cheltenham and make a decision closer to the time,” commented Elliott.

HORSE TO FOLLOW:

BOTANI (W.P. Mullins): This daughter of Doyen produced a nice effort on her debut to finish fourth in the bumper won by Santa Rossa and she shouldn’t have any difficulty making her mark in a mares’ bumper this season.

ACTING STEWARDS:

T. Hunt, P. Caffrey,

C. Cunningham,

M. Magnier,

P.D. Matthews