TRAINER Willie Mullins is a hard man to beat in his own back yard and dominated last Saturday’s meeting at Gowran Park. The net result was a four-timer shared between jockeys Paul Townend and Bryan Cooper in the absence of Ruby Walsh, who was on duty for the yard with Faugheen at Ascot.

Owner Susannah Ricci will have been particularly pleased with the performance of her French import Douvan who set up a double for Townend in the Santa Train At Gowran Park Novice Hurdle. The 8/13 favourite led or disputed throughout and asserted before the last in coasting to an easy 12-length success over recent Naas scorer Sizing John on his Irish debut.

Mullins said afterwards: “I’d have no problem going out in trip with him. He’s only a four-year-old but he’s a fine big horse and will make a chaser down the line. He could be anything.”

Winner number two for the Riccis came via Ballycasey who bypassed Ascot’s Graded Amlin 1965 Chase in favour of the two and a half mile Race That Stops A County ‘Thyestes Jan 22nd 2015’ Chase. The 4/6 favourite made all in Townend’s capable hands, quickening the pace from five out to win by five and a half lengths from Followmeuptocarlow.

His trainer reflected: “It’s a trip he seems to enjoy and he jumped great. I might try and find more opportunities for him at that distance, maybe in Grade 2 and 3 races rather than going up in trip for the John Durkan which comes too soon. He might have appeared to win easy but he had a hard enough race there.”

Not to be outdone, Michael O’Leary’s Gigginstown House Stud also got in on the act with the Bryan Cooper-ridden pair Tell Us More and Don Poli. Exciting novice hurdle prospect Tell Us More, who has a point-to-point and bumper success to his credit, kept his unbeaten record intact with an unchallenged 11-length win over Nimdani in the two-mile www.gowranpark.ie Maiden Hurdle.

Mullins is clearly smitten with the five-year-old Scorpion gelding, the 1/5 favourite, who forced the pace from start to finish and commented: “He got things his own way a bit but probably could do that anyway. He’s a natural jumper and I’d have no problem stepping him up in trip either. I think he’ll improve a fair bit from that.

“I thought he looked a bit big in the parade ring before the race, so that bodes well for the future. I was thinking more of Christmas for his next run but we’ll look at everything and he looks top drawer.”

Stablemate Don Poli led home a one-two for Gigginstown in the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Beginners Chase, run over two and a half miles when justifying 11/10 favouritism by a convincing two and a half lengths from Wounded Warrior. The five-year-old “gallops and jumps and looks ‘nailed on’ for the four-mile NH Chase at Cheltenham,” according to his trainer. Mullins added: “He’s a good staying chaser who just appears to idle all the time, which you would like to hope would suggest he has loads left in the locker.”

Buiseness Sivola’s defeat in the Santa Train Bookings At www.gowranpark.ie 3-Y-O Maiden Hurdle was the only blot on the Closutton trainer’s landscape. The even money favourite was found out by the testing conditions on his first outing for eight months when going down by one and a half lengths to the Charles O’Brien-trained Prussian Eagle, the mount of Mark Walsh. The duo pulled 18 lengths clear of the third horse Lady Clitico.

TEARAWAY

O’Brien trains the 8/1 shot for Michael Keating from Maynooth who runs Castetown Press in Celbridge. “He was a little bit of a tearaway on the flat which made it hard to work out his trip but he’s got sense now and the penny is starting to drop,” was the trainer’s immediate reaction. “He handled that ground and was race fit.”

The John Joe Walsh-trained Love On Top and rider Francis McCurtin, whose brother Ambrose owns the 8/1 shot, both clocked up their third wins when the Westerner mare defied top-weight in the Gowran Park Racing Club Membership For €100 Mares Handicap Hurdle by two and a half lengths from Dantes Firth.

The successful owner reflected: “Today she was probably back at her level and that was her first time in against mares. She’ll go for something similar if the handicapper is not too hard on her.”

Co Clare handler Michael McDonogh enjoyed a welcome success when his consistent performer Black Zero, the 7/2 favourite, got off the mark under Philip Enright in the Irish Racing Yearbook Handicap Chase.

The six-year-old son of Blueprint, who had gone to the front before two out, was left clear to collect by the final fence fall of Indian Fairy and capitalised to take the spoils by a comfortable eight lengths from Heavenly Brook.

“He ended up being an easy winner when the other horse fell but he travelled and jumped well and a light weight was a big help in that ground,” was Enright’s reaction.

Clashing stars

TRAINER Willie Mullins is in the enviable position of trying to keep his stable stars apart and said of Faugheen: “He’s a way stronger horse this year than I had him at any stage last season and Ruby was able to dictate on him. He could go up or down in trip, but everything’s open and all my horses will be entered everywhere and try to avoid one another.”