Paddy’s Rewards Club Chase (Grade 1)

BLUE Lord made it six from six in Irish steeplechases, his only defeat in the discipline coming in last season’s Arkle at Cheltenham, showing a turn of foot from the last that hinted he may be a different animal this term.

Not always the strongest finisher, Blue Lord was all out to repel the rallying Tornado Flyer in the Clonmel Oil Chase after quickening to the front, but this was a different tale back in distance.

The 2/1 second favourite appealed as the likely winner for most of the race; his more celebrated stablemate, the eventual third Chacun Pour Soi, never quite looked like he was in his usual rhythm and he blew what chance he had with a poor leap at the second last.

Finally, it seems, bookmakers have paid due respect to Blue Lord after this 11-length romp at the chief expense of Captain Guinness. Still available at 25/1 for the Queen Mother Champion Chase as recently as three weeks ago, he is now no bigger than 7/1 – though one got the impression that Willie Mullins was savouring the day rather than thinking of Cheltenham for Simon Munir and Isaac Souede’s charge.

“He got a great opportunity to settle in behind those front-runners today and that brought out the best in him,” he said.

“That (performance) was very smart. I thought they’d go too fast for him here and they did go fast.

Performance

“I was looking at two and a half miles for him this year but it looks like he could be a Champion Chase horse after that performance. Certainly, the dial is coming back to two miles now rather than going out to two and a half. It just means he’s improving.”

Blue Lord pecked a little at the first but thereafter jumped and travelled like the winner. When pushed along coming around the home bend, it seemed as though he may not find much but he was soon back on the bridle and burst clear. “He’s just very good,” Jacob reflected.

Given his pretty heavy defeat, it was striking that Mullins said he was “really delighted with Chacun Pour Soi. He started to put in some tremendous jumps down the back and just met the second-last all wrong. That knocked him out of the race at a crucial time but I was very heartened by his performance.

“At his age maybe he needs to go out in trip,” which may tempt some about the 33/1 on offer that he wins the Ryanair Chase come March.

Coeur Sublime travelled well but, as is often the case, his finishing effort was limited. Jeremys Flame faded badly after making the pace, with Gentleman De Mee again disappointing in sixth and Andy Duresne tailed off.

Paddy Power Future Champions Novice Hurdle (Grade 1)

THERE’S just something about Facile Vega, who led home a one-two-three for the stable in the aptly named Paddy Power Future Champions Novice Hurdle.

It might be that Facile Vega runs in the colours of the great Quevega, those of the Hammer & Trowel Syndicate. It might be that he is a son of the great Quevega. It might be that he’s now six from six. Perhaps it is the way he hurdles: brave, athletic, spectacular, even a little raw.

Is it what is past or passing, or to come?

Mullins, understandably, is already talking of chasing, but many rivers are to cross. For Paul Townend, who will probably never ride against Facile Vega, this was some buzz.

After the 2/9 favourite slammed high-class and gutsy stablemate Il Etait Temps by four lengths, pushed out having jumped to the front with an extravagant leap at the first, with Ashroe Diamond in third and fully 19 lengths back to everything else, Townend said: “He was on it today for the majority of the race.

“We learned more than he did (when he won his maiden) at Fairyhouse. He raced enthusiastically down the back but when I gave him one flick he extended again.

“After taking me everywhere, he has to figure these things out; it’s harmless hacking around in a maiden hurdle. He’s obviously very good. Hopefully, he can keep getting the ‘1s’ beside him.”

Unchanged

Paddy Power left the winner unchanged on even money for the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle. Asked to give him a mark out of 10, Mullins said: “I’d nearly have to give him 11.5!

“Plan A obviously went out the window after the first hurdle. Thankfully, Il Etait Temps didn’t bring him down! Paul said he was very close to it because he absolutely winged the hurdle.

“Then he had no lead and had to go and make his own running. He did it well, he got very free at the first hurdle down the back and took some jump at it. I was delighted to see that but I knew he couldn’t keep that up.

“I think he’ll learn an awful lot today. The big crowd and all the buzz before the race itself – all that will be a help for him in the future.”

Intriguingly, he added after racing: “I’m looking at him and I’m thinking ‘wow what’s he going to be like over a fence’. He’s made to jump fences.”

HE didn’t have much time to summon memories of the many great days to recall – but even Willie Mullins had to admit this might even have been his best one yet.

Before a crowd of 17,045, most of them presumably making money, Mullins took all bar one of the seven races.

The odds for the six-timer were not especially spectacular – 101.9-1 – but it was not so much what he achieved on the day but what heights these horses might climb down the line.

It all began when another exuberant racer, Tekao, took the juveniles’ maiden hurdle, keeping up the fine run of J.P. McManus and Mark Walsh, though backers of the 10/11 favourite had a scare or two.

As was the case when he was turned over at short odds at Navan, the son of Doctor Dino raced freely, but he had enough in reserve to repel promising hurdling newcomer Ascending. Yet another smart McManus juvenile, Goodie Two Shoes, shaped really well back third.

“He’ll be better in a better-run race,” commented Walsh, adding: “He jumped well. It wasn’t much of a race, it turned into a sprint. We’ll find out more the next day.”

Dysart Dynamo emerged as a proper Arkle rival to McManus’ Jonbon when running away with the beginners’ chase. He was no better than 6s for Cheltenham afterwards, though it was more the manner of how Townend’s mount achieved his win that impressed, than the 28-length decision after something of a non-event.

Often too free over hurdles, fences could be the making of the son of Westerner, who was sent off 2/5 in the silks of Eleanor Manning and was pretty flawless from gate to wire.

Only two others finished, Irascible edging Sea Ducor for second with Slip Of The Tongue departing at the third.

“That was very good, a very intelligent round of jumping,” said Townend. “He let fly at the second, that can happen here, but he was much more manageable (than he can be).”

Bizarre

With bookmakers wondering how bad things might get on the day, it was somewhat bizarre that Mullins’ Winter Fog, his only runner in the handicap hurdle, was friendless in the wagering, 3/1 out to 11/2.

But he won like another odds-on chance in the colours of the Triple Lock Partnership.

This was another race to showcase the talents of Old Leighlin teenager Kieran Callaghan, who claims 7lb.

Winter Fog had high-level handicap form over a mile further for the trainer’s nephew Emmet, but this looks more his trip after a six-and-a-half-length win over Palace Rock.

“Kieran is a good young rider, a cool kid, and he deserves a lot of the credit for it,” the winning trainer said.

“He rides a lot of his work at home. We brought him back to two miles; his homework suggested he would be capable of being competitive over two miles.”

IT is a measure of Willie Mullins that when asked how he somehow managed not to win the Paddy Power Chase, in which he declared eight, he paid tribute to Eric and Conor McNamara.

One of the most popular families in racing, the trainer-and-son team combined to take the €200,000 contest by a short-head after three miles and 50 yards – with none other than Real Steel at odds of 33/1.

Having come over from France after one run there in 2016, Real Steel soon established himself as a smart horse at Closutton, such that he was beaten a little over seven lengths in the 2020 Gold Cup.

However, a spell with Paul Nicholls proved something of a shambles and they weren’t queuing up to buy him when McNamara did earlier this year.

Likely owner Tadhg Moynihan needed some convincing. “I met Tadhg in Listowel one year,” recalled McNamara. “We are friends ever since.

“He always said he’d love to win the Kerry National so I bought this fella to try and win it. He’ll be there next year but this will do!

“I picked him out at the sales, rang Tadhg and asked if he would buy him. He said: ‘Eric if you want him’ and I said: ‘I don’t want to go home without him’. So I bought him – but he paid for him. He paid for himself today.”

Real Steel had come down a long way from his peak, competing here off 131, and anything higher than 131 would probably have stopped him clinging on from Diol Ker, who would have been up in another stride or two.

The inexperienced Panda Boy ran a blinder in third, just holding on from 9/2 favourite Ain’t That A Shame. Mullins had nothing finish in the top 10, the well-backed Mr Incredible brought down at the fourth.

Different places

What did Eric McNamara do that did not work for Paul Nicholls? “We changed his routine and we were always very kind to him. We brought him a few different places to work and we never took him off the bridle.

“We trained him like he was a real good horse and he always worked against horses that he could beat just to try and mentally get him back to where he was.”

If it seemed inevitable that J.P. McManus’ Fact To File would prevail in the bumper for Mullins and son Patrick, the Poliglote-bred sent off 8/13, it certainly did not look the case at the furlong marker, Derek O’Connor travelling best on the eye-catching Irish Panther.

Fact To File was matched at 49/1 on the betting exchanges but rallied to bring up the sizzling six-timer, his rider patting his neck as he crossed the line.

Edward O’Grady’s Irish Panther may still win a war or two down the line.

Three generations of the Mullins dynasty were racing to witness it all, the matriarch Maureen moving like a woman far younger than her 93 years.

“I wasn’t going to leave without her today,” said her son, who added that it was “certainly up there” with the best days he has had in racing.

Extraordinary

“It’s been an extraordinary day and our planning department at home deserves all the credit for this, for putting the horses in the right races and having them right.

“Between David Casey, Ruby (Walsh) and Patrick picking out different horses for different races – and then just getting them ready to race – it’s a huge team effort, including from our travelling head man Ben Delmer at the track. Thanks to all our owners and everyone for allowing us to have days like this.”

Patrick added: “It’s huge. He puts himself under huge pressure. His biggest strength is to get owners first and owners to buy the right horses.”