Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
MULLINS RATH
RATHVINDEN will be stronglyfancied to complete a chasing hat-trick in the Clifford Ground Care Limited Novice Chase on the final day of the Killarney August Festival.
Now a nine-year old and a latecomer to the bigger obstacles, the Willie Mullins-trained gelding comes into today’s race on the back of victories at Wexford and Galway and looks set to continue on his winning ways.
A high-class novice hurdler in his youth, Rathvinden ran the race of his life when five lengths third to star stable-companion Faugheen in the 2014 Neptune at Cheltenham.
Unfortunately, injury has interrupted the career of this Heron Island gelding. And he was off the track from that March day in 2014 until Leopardstown’s Christmas meeting last year, when he was pulled up on his fencing bow in a race won by this year’s Irish Grand National victor Our Duke.
He wasn’t seen again until May, when he chased home Modem in Ballinrobe.
Six weeks later, he opened his account over the bigger obstacles, when slamming Fly Rory Fly in a beginners event over three miles and a furlong.
Last time, in a Grade 3 novice in Galway, he was forsaken by Ruby Walsh, who partnered stable-companion Townshend but, well-backed and with Paul Townend on board, he came through strongly to beat subsequent winner Potters Point with one of today’s rivals PEREGRINE RUN (now 4lb better off) in third.
Today’s extra two furlongs will help Rathvinden. And, with Ruby back on board, he’s expected to confirm Galway form with Peregrine Run and also prove too strong for Henry de Bromhead’s
CONRAD HASTINGS, successful at Kilbeggan and here (over a longer trip) last month.
On what should be another good day for Willie Mullins, ROBIN DES FORET, collared late by Oakly at Galway, is expected to make all for Ruby in the Irish Stallion Farms Novice Hurdle, in which the champion trainer also runs hat-trick-seeking MISS SAPPHIRE.
The Joseph O’brien-trained
SANTIAGO DE CUBA, successful on his debut over course and distance, is napped to follow-up for Derek O’connor in the JOC Metal Fabrications Limited Pro-am Flat race.
This strapping Pour Moi gelding looked a smart recruit when forging clear to beat stable-companion Chess Grand Master on that occasion.
The runner-up was subsequently beaten by the selections chief rival today, the Mullins-trained mare POET
POWER in Galway, before getting off the mark in Sligo on Tuesday.