WILL’S DREAM IS REAL KLASS ACT
Champion show as 8-year-old completes back-to-back wins
KLASSICAL DREAM bagged his sixth Grade 1 success when justifying 11/10 favouritism in the Thursday feature – the Ladbrokes Champion Stayers Hurdle.
First leg of a Grade 1 double for Willie Mullins and Paul Townend, the hooded eight-year-old travelled strongly throughout as Gentlemansgame set the pace. And the Dream Well gelding jumped with his usual economy and fluency.
Townend eased him into a challenging position at the second last flight and, turning for home, it was clear the favourite had the measure of his rivals.
Clear jumping the last, Mrs Joanne Coleman’s charge idled on the run in, but held the renewed challenge of Ashdale Bob by a length and a quarter, with long-time leader Gentlemansgame in third and Sire Du Berlais a close fourth.
“He’s maturing as he gets older,” said Mullins. “He was very relaxed in the parade ring. And Paul got him lovely and relaxed going to the start and in the race. He’s a busy horse and you have to get him settled. The small field helped. Paul looked happy on him.”
Klassical Dream was a three-time Grade 1 winner as a novice, all over two miles in early 2019, but has developed into a high-class stayer, completing back-to-back wins in this event, in addition to landing Leopardstown’s Christmas Hurdle.
Mullins added: “We were going to go chasing with him a few times, but things didn’t work out. So we’ll probably follow a similar route of staying hurdles next season, starting in Leopardstown at Christmas and ending up here again.”
On the supporting card, two other previous winners starred, most notably Ballyboker Bridge, who repeated his 2019 success in the marathon La Touche over the cross-country course, outpointing last year’s winner Singing Banjo.
The winner, still sprightly at the age of 15 but retired after this memorable success, was ridden to victory by Tiernan Power-roche and is a credit to his trainer Peter Maher.
Later, A Great View (Mark Walsh) won the Grade B Conway Piling Handicap Hurdle for J P Mcmanus and local trainer Denis Cullen, registering his first win in exactly four years, since he won this race in 2018.