Threesy does it for Gaelic Warriors
Mullins and Townend open festival with treble
WILLIE Mullins and Paul Townend were the toast of Cheltenham last night after landing a treble with three well-backed favourites.
Ahead of the meeting, Cork jockey Townend spoke of the pressure on his shoulders riding such fancied horses at Prestbury Park, but stated afterwards: “The pressure is a privilege.”
The 33-year-old added: “There’s no doubt about that, anyone would want it, but it’s pressure at the same time and it’s a relief when it goes right.”
On where yesterday ranked in terms of his days in the saddle, Townend said: “Any day you come here with a winner is huge and I wouldn’t be here without Willie.
“From the first day I had a ride here, he brought me through nicely and I’m just fortunate for all the work of everyone at home and the other jockeys and everyone wins together.
“I’m just the fortunate one who gets to ride the very good ones.” The successes took Mullins to just three wins away from reaching the milestone of 100 winners at the Festival and with a number of other strongly fancied favourites to come today, it would be no surprise if he achieves it by this evening.
Gaelic Warrior at 2/1 got the ball rolling for the Closutton team yesterday by winning the Arkle after Mystical Power was just denied in the opener for the champion trainer.
And some 80 minutes later, Townend made his way back into the winners enclosure after securing the
Champion
Hurdle on board State
Man to give the jockey his first success in the race – and the trainer his fifth.
Wearing the colours of former bookie and art collector Joe Donnelly’s wife Marie, Townend saluted the crowd as the winning owners added a championship race to Al Boum Photo’s two Gold Cup successes after the 2/5 favourite powered into the race and came home ahead of the Gordon Elliott-trained Irish Point in second.
And Mullins and Townend were celebrating once again in the next race as Lossiemouth won the Mares’ Hurdle by beating the Rachael Blackmore-ridden
Telmesomethinggirl by three lengths.
So impressive was the Rich Ricci-owned mare that she was cut into 7/2 to win next year’s Champion Hurdle by betting firms after the race.
The former Barclays boss said afterwards: “It’s fantastic. Unbelievable. One hundred per cent I’d like to bring her back here next year – that’s been the plan.
“Let’s see if she is up for it and able for it, but that is the plan. She’s been wonderful to own, and she’d be undefeated if she hadn’t run into trouble at Leopardstown last year, and I’m delighted with her. We’ve been very lucky with our mares. She’s brilliant.”
Meanwhile, Blackmore maintained her incredible Festival opening day record by winning a race on the Tuesday for a sixth consecutive time.
The Tipperary jockey rode Slade Steel at 7/2 to victory in the first race of the meeting for Henry de Bromhead, with the horse battling brilliantly up the famous hill to beat Mystical Power.
Blackmore said afterwards: “It’s unbelievable, I just love this place. It’s just amazing to be coming here and riding these kinds of horses. It’s unbelievable.”