FRESH from teaming up with Kemboy in the Savills Chase, Willie and David Mullins were at it again as Good Thyne Tara led home a one-two-three for the yard in the Grade 3 Advent Insurance Irish EBF Mares Hurdle at Leopardstown.

Mullins was expected to win it with Limini, who was the odds-on favourite, but she drifted alarmingly in the betting just before the off and trailed her two stablemates, with Elimay giving the winner most to do.

Sent off at 9/2, Good Thyne Tara was allowed to do as she pleased in front, left to her own devices.

She poached a five-length lead at half way – and while Elimay pestered her all the way up the straight on her Irish debut, Good Thyne Tara held on by half a length.

“She’s very tough. We’re probably lucky to still have her in training. We didn’t get the rain this winter, and if we had I would have just sent her back,” said Willie Mullins.

“The ground is good, and she loves it. David said she went down on the sand track, where it was heavy, and she hated it. He said the minute she stepped out on the grass she was a different mare.

“He wanted to make the running on her, and I said ‘okay go ahead and do that’. It worked out for him again.

“It was a big surprise to me, because I didn’t think she was up to that standard, but the more she does the more she improves.

“She’s probably just a little better than a lot of them on this ground. We’ll see what happens when the ground gets heavy.”

Mullins had mixed feelings about the performances of the runner-up and third.

“I was delighted with Elimay,” he said. “It was her first run for us. Charlie Swan bought her in France for JP McManus.

“She’s not a big mare but she’s obviously got a big engine, I think. For her first run over hurdles here, it was good.

“With Limini, I’m just wondering if the runs she had on the flat on very firm ground might be telling now on this unseasonably dry ground here.

“She might just improve back to her old form if the weather breaks. Ruby felt she wasn’t letting herself down on it. She wants more of a cut in the ground.”

Mullins had earlier teamed up with Ruby Walsh to win the Pigsback.com Maiden Hurdle on Castlebawn West (7/2) after a terrific tussle with The Big Dog.

BOOST

Alan Fleming and Barry Connell were given a boost through the victory of Speaker Connolly (12/1) in the Adare Manor Opportunity Handicap Chase.

Smart novice chaser Borderline Chatho suffered a fatal fall when in the process of putting up a good display on Friday – but in providing jockey Liam Gilligan with his first winner, the pair were able to smile once more.

“He’s probably a horse that will get a bit further, and I’d say he’ll improve again from that today – so hopefully he will. He’ll need to, because the handicapper’s going to give him a right whopping,” said Fleming.

“Where we go next, I don’t know, but I hope there’ll be another nice handicap in him anyway. If he can improve at all we’ll have an all right horse on our hands.

“It was tough yesterday to lose him. He was a nice horse and it’ll be hard to fill his box. Unfortunately these things happen.”