Rest of the Card

NOT satisfied with a Grade 1 double, Willie Mullins saddled two other winners at Leopardstown on Sunday, both for Gigginstown House Stud.

The chances of A Toi Phil in the Nathanial Lacy & Partners Solicitors Novice Hurdle (Grade 2), another race which has been farmed by Mullins in recent years, had been underlined in the opening maiden won by the French-bred’s immediate victim here over Christmas, Don’t Touch It.

Over the two and a half-mile trip, Bryan Cooper settled the 6/4 favourite behind the pace-setter Acapella Bourgeois until sending him to the front after the fourth last flight. The longtime leader lost his pitch at this stage but rallied again in the home straight. However, he was never going to reel in A Toi Phil who, bustled up on the turn-in, was seven lengths clear at the line.

“He’s learning and maturing all the time,” commented Mullins of the Day Flight six-year-old. “He raced like a racehorse today compared to the last day here when he ran all over the place. He could go out to three miles no problem. He’ll be entered in all of the novice hurdles at Cheltenham and we’ll keep our options open.”

The sponsors are offering a €25,000 stable staff bonus should A Toi Phil also win at this year’s National Hunt Festival.

Mullins brought up his short-priced four-timer in the bumper where track newcomer Village Mystic led or disputed throughout under the trainer’s son Patrick. The 4/7 favourite stayed on well from over a furlong down to hold off his main market-rival, Jack Dillinger, by four lengths.

With Gigginstown not in favour of running their horses in the Weatherbys Champion Bumper, it wasn’t surprising to hear the successful trainer comment: “I doubt if he’ll be going to Cheltenham.

“He’ll go for a winners’ bumper now and we can race away in Ireland. He came to us unusually from a British point-to-point.

“He looks like a horse who will stay and will be a chaser more than a hurdler. I’m not sure he’ll improve on better ground.”

HARRINGTON

The Jessica Harrington-trained Don’t Touch It paid a huge compliment to his conqueror here at Christmas, A Toi Phil, when annihilating 13 rivals in the opening Donohue Marquees Maiden Hurdle.

In a bid to get Willie Mullins’s Closutton yard off to a winning start, Ruby Walsh set out to make all over the two-mile trip with Beau Mome and soon had the field strung out in Indian file. However, on board J.P. McManus’s Don’t Touch It, Barry Geraghty never let Walsh build up much of an advantage and sent his mount up to dispute the running before two out.

Soon in command, Don’t Touch It eased clear in the straight to score by 13 lengths from Beau Mome who held off Lip Service by a neck for second.

“Ruby put it up to them, and they seemed to go a good gallop, but this is a horse with gears,” Harrington said of the good-looking Scorpion gelding who had also finished second on his first start over hurdles at Gowran Park in November. “Barry said he jumped well apart from the third last. I don’t know what the plan will be but I think he could be very good. He was a bit leery here the last day but is learning all the time.”

NOLAN FORM

Paul Nolan’s yard has shown a return to form recently and the momentum was maintained by The Mooch (16/1) in the Sandyford Handicap Chase which provided the closest result of the afternoon.

Owned by breeder Roger English and his brother Nicky, the former Tipperary hurling great, The Mooch made virtually all the running over the two-mile, one-furlong trip. Although strongly pressed, he was still in front heading to the final fence but jumped that slowly, handing the initiative to Just Get Cracking who had improved into second approaching the last.

Looking set for victory on landing, the new leader was challenged all the way up the run-in but was collared by the rallying The Mooch in the final stride, going down by a neck to Jonathan Moore’s mount who was in receipt of 9lbs. Forty Foot Tom was a length and a half back in third with Finea just three-quarters of a length adrift in fourth.

“He was probably going to be second or third when falling at Naas the last day (November 7th),” said Nolan. “We gave him a bit of a break and brought him back fresh. He’s really well now and we’ll keep him on the go, possibly over hurdles. Johnny gave him a great, brave ride.”

The stewards handed out a three-day suspension to the successful jockey for excessive use of the whip.

IN FORM THORNTON

Another in-form trainer, Karl Thornton, saddled two runners in two-mile, five-furlong ‘Colours Bar’ Handicap Chase and it was the longer-priced of the pair, Bearly Legal (10/1), who triumphed under Donagh Meyler.

The long-time leader Knock Beauty was headed at the third last by Upstager but neither was concerned at the finish with Bearly Legal, running in the colours of the trainer’s father Sean, taking it up between the final two fences before holding off Kayf Supreme by four lengths.

“He was entitled to do that,” said the winning trainer. “He wants a big, galloping track like that. He’s more of a spring horse than a winter one and will probably get a bit of a break now. I’d love to get him into the Irish National off a low weight. I think he stays and it was just the ground which did him here the last day.”

Thornton, who had plenty of support on Sunday from family and friends, was saddling his seventh winner of the season from just 32 runners.

ACTING STEWARDS

T. Hunt, S. Barry, M. Cosgrave, J. Murphy and P.D. Matthews

HORSE TO FOLLOW

JACK DILLINGER (E.P. Harty): It will be interesting to see if connections persist in bumpers with this Westerner gelding who finished second at Leopardstown. The five-year-old, who comes from the family of Aztec Warrior and Monbeg Dude, is a half-brother to the Beneficial siblings Bonny and Mala Beach.