Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
LET’S GO GET ’EM Cilaos can help Mullins & Townend to a big race double
BACK over hurdles, Cilaos Emery should spark a double for Willie Mullins and Paul Townend in Gowran Park today.
Conditions will be extremely testing for Red Mills Day, with the ground described as heavy yesterday and with the wind and rain associated with Storm Dennis expected.
It’s significant that Willie Mullins has decided to return Cilaos Emery to hurdling, in the wake of a first fence fall in the Grade 1 chase won by Chacun Pour Soi at the Dublin
Racing Festival, a mishap which ended his unbeaten record over the bigger obstacles.
The eight-year-old had triumphed at Grade 3 and
Grade 2 level over fences before Christmas, including a facile win in the Hilly Way at Cork.
He made an early exit in the Ladbrokes Dublin Chase, for which he went off at 4/1. And, now, the 165-rated chaser reverts to the small obstacles in the Grade 3 Red Mills Trial Hurdle, over his ideal trip, two miles.
With a hurdle mark of 158, he’s rated 5lb. superior to last year’s winner of the race, the Joseph O’brien-trained Darasso, and is set to receive 7lb. from that rival.
Darasso made his belated seasonal debut when fourth to Ballyandy in the
Grade 2 New One Unibet Hurdle at Haydock last month, will strip fitter today, but faces a very tough test against Cilaos Emery.
As a Grade 2 event, but boasting a similar prize fund to Cilaos Emery’s Grade 3 target, the Red Mills Chase is the feature.
And Mullins and Townend (inset) might hold the key with Real Steel, who slammed Us-bound stablemate Footpad by 14 lengths in the Horse & Jockey Hotel Chase (Kinloch Brae) in Thurles last month.
Real Steel had started his season by landing a Grade 2 at Down Royal in November. And he also finished a creditable fourth behind stablemate Min in the John Durkan at Punchestown in early December.
The highest-rated contender in the field, Real Steel might have most to fear from Henry de Bromhead’s Chris’s Dream, last seen when winning the Troytown off 146 at Navan in November, before missing his engagement in the Irish Gold Cup due to unfavourably good ground.
Rachael Blackmore’s mount looks the biggest threat in a field which also features Snow Falcon, off the track since filling sixth spot in the John Durkan, the Gordon Elliott-trained mare Shattered Love, third to Al Boum Photo at Tramore on New Year’s Day and returning, 155-rated Kaiser Black.