WILLIE Mullins and J.P. McManus stole the show on Easter Sunday at Fairyhouse, with the prolific trainer registering a five-timer at the Meath venue and champion owner recording a treble.

The pair combined to land two races on the Fairyhouse card, including the Grade 2 Cafe En Seine Novice Hurdle with Hercule Du Seuil - helped by an inspired front-running ride from Mark Walsh.

Disappointing when last seen in the Royal Bond Novice Hurdle here in December, the For Auction Novice Hurdle winner was a different proposition after a break when getting to dictate matters on the front end.

It looked as though 6/5 favourite and stablemate Hunters Yarn was set to through down a serious challenge, and the same applied to long-absent Listowel Harvest Festival winner Amir Kabir, but Hercule Du Seuil found generously when it mattered to score by a length and three quarters at 7/1.

Assistant trainer David Casey said: “I thought he’d gone fast enough, and that they might swallow him up turning in, but Mark said he got a good breather into him between the fourth last and third last. He toughed it out well.

“He wants nice ground, so we missed the middle of the winter, and he’s not entered in any of the graded races in Punchestown. The plan is to go chasing with him now. As long as the ground is not rock hard at the start of the new season, I’d say he’ll be in a novice or beginners’ chase somewhere.”

Cheltenham compensation

The same trainer-owner-jockey axis combined to claim the Grade B BoyleSports Novice Handicap Chase with even-money favourite Dinoblue, who gained compensation for her near miss when second on her last start in the Grand Annual Handicap Chase at the Cheltenham Festival.

There was late drama in the €45,000 contest as 11/2 shot Whiskeywealth looked to hold leading claims when falling at the last, having traded nearly as short as 1/5 in the in-running markets at the time.

Casey said: “Mark thought he was a fraction lucky but, either way, even if she was only going to be second, I thought it was a very good performance coming back from a tough run at Cheltenham. She jumped super.

“There’s another one of those handicaps – not a novice handicap, an open one – at Punchestown. She’ll have an entry in that and we’ll see what happens.”

CONNECTIONS of Nick Rockett are excited at the prospect of a novice chasing campaign next season after the Willie Mullins-trained youngster made it two from two over hurdles in the Grade 2 Paddy Kehoe Suspended Ceilings Novice Hurdle under Danny Mullins.

Paul Townend opted to ride 2/1 favourite Parmenion in the €40,000 event, but it was the stable’s 9/1 shot - owned by Stewart and Sadie Andrew - who ran out a comprehensive 15-length winner over Denis Hogan’s promising novice Thecompanysergeant.

Another of the Mullins contingent, The Gunner Yeats, had attempted to make all but was on the decline when unfortunate to suffer a fatal fall at the second last.

A third-placed effort from Parmenion still meant the Closutton team emerged with the 1-3 in the extended-two-and-a-half-mile event.

David Casey said: “We weren’t sure what to expect going to his last start in a maiden hurdle at Naas, but he was always one who would improve with time. Danny just said the same – that way more improvement than he thought has come from him.

“He travelled super, jumped great, and we always had him down as a horse for the future, for jumping fences. The best is ahead of him.”

Golf comes good

The opening leg of the McManus treble came in the opening Ryan’s Cleaning Maiden Hurdle as Golf Marin got off the mark at the 16th attempt under Walsh.

Trained by Tony Martin, the 10/1 chance had been chasing recently and made use of his experience to score by three and three parts of a length.

McManus’ racing manager Frank Berry said: “He had been struggling in handicaps and Tony thought we’d bring him back for a maiden today. It mightn’t be the strongest of maidens, and it might give him a bit of confidence.”

ON a tough day for the Gordon Elliott team with the loss of Mighty Potter in the WillowWarm Gold Cup, there was no shortage of poignancy with the yard’s winner of the concluding €100,000 Tattersalls Ireland George Mernagh Memorial Sales Bumper.

It was Mighty Potter’s aptly-named half-sister Brighterdaysahead who produced an excellent performance to deliver on the immense promise shown when winning a bumper at Gowran Park in February.

Owned by Gigginstown House Stud and bought for €310,000 as a store at last year’s Tattersalls Ireland Derby Sale, the mount of Harry Swan is now a 10/1 shot for next year’s Ryanair-backed Jack de Bromhead Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival.

“It’s been a tough day for the team but on a brighter note, this is a good mare,” said Elliott.

“It looks like she was well bought. It’s bittersweet, but she’s a lady. We’re looking forward to her over hurdles next season.”

Warrior digs deep for McKiernan

Oliver McKiernan managed to spoil Edward Cawley’s two-pronged attempt to win the Cawley Furniture Novice Handicap Hurdle as Kilbree Warrior and Richie Condon proved impossible to catch from the front.

A strong stayer who can take some stopping when bringing her ‘A’ game, the 16/1 shot galloped on relentlessly to score by 16 lengths from the Cawley-trained pair of Dont Go Yet and Petit King in second and third.

McKiernan said: “She did it well. It was a little bit unexpected, I have to say. She was in great form at home – we knew that much – but in these kind of handicaps in a place like this, at a festival, we weren’t expecting her to win.

“I got a great kick out of it. I probably thought it was going to be too hot for her, but it wasn’t, so we’re happy to win it and take the few bob from Eddie [Cawley]!”