Flooring Porter triumph is a fairytale coming true
JOCKEY MULLINS TAKES RIDE ON MORNING OF RACE AND LEADS SIX-YEAR-OLD TO VICTORY
FLOORING Porter (12-1) floored his rivals to win the Paddy Power Stayers’ Hurdle on the third day of the Festival.
Leading from start to finish, under Danny Mullins, the Gavin Cromwell-trained six-year-old ran out a dominant winner of the Grade One feature at Prestbury Park.
It was a first Cheltenham Festival win for jockey Mullins, who was only partnering Flooring Porter as regular rider Jonathan Moore had to miss the ride through injury.
Flooring Porter has gone from handicapper to Grade One star this season, adding the biggest staying prize to his Grade One Christmas Hurdle success at Leopardstown.
As in his homeland, he kept it simple, pouring on the pressure from the front.
No horse could get near him as he powered up the Cheltenham hill to beat Sire Du Berlais (5-1) by threeand-a-quarter lengths.
Emma Lavelle’s 2019 Stayers’ Hurdle hero Paisley Park, sent off the 9-4 favourite to regain his crown, could never get near the winner.
Under Aidan Coleman, he stayed on well to finish a length-and threequarters back in third. Beacon Edge (10-1) was a further half-a-length drift in fourth.
Flooring Porter’s usual rider Moore had been injured in a fall and had a race against time to make Cheltenham. He had got back in the saddle on his proposed big-race mount this week, but he declared himself unfit and told Cromwell to turn to Mullins.
The trainer praised Moore’s selflessness. Cromwell said: “It was a huge performance and a smashing ride. It was a big blow for Jonathan, he made the decision himself that he wouldn’t do the horse justice.
“He suggested Danny would be suited to the horse and it was all down to Jonny’s instructions.
“Hats off to Johnny, he’s so unselfish – he thought he wouldn’t do the horse justice, so I’m very grateful. He actually sat on him.”
Cromwell had had concerns there was no rail to keep Flooring Porter straight throughout the race as he has pulled left in some of his races.
But Flooring Porter had no issues and Cromwell said: “He ran straight and true today, bar going right at the last. Other than that he was grand.
“He won a Grade B handicap at Navan when it wasn’t the plan to make the running. He decided on his tactics so we went along with it.
“We won the Champion Hurdle a few years ago, so to win another championship race is fantastic.
“The owners are a syndicate from Galway, they are a great bunch and it’s an awful pity they can’t be here.
“Everybody knows how hard it is to get a good horse. We came across this lad by accident, he was a very cheap store so it’s a bit of a fairytale really – it just goes to show dreams can still happen.”
Mullins was delighted to have finally landed a big winner at the Festival, and thanked Moore, who was alongside him after the race. He said: “He gave me every bit of information he had about the horse and I had a simple job.”