Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
Switched on punters can Get Paid
IT’S the calm before the storm, a quiet weekend before the excitement of Cheltenham.
And champion-jockey Paul Townend, ahead of his first Festival as stablejockey to Willie Mullins, can round-off his preparations by scoring on his only ride of the weekend,
in the Mansionbet Get Paid As A Winner Maiden Hurdle, a race Mullins has won three times in the last four years, in Gowran Park.
A French-bred son of Denham Red, Energumene won his only point-topoint outing at Larkhill in England, and made his Irish debut for Mullins and owner Tony Bloom, in a Navan bumper in November.
Sent off at 4/1 he was patiently-ridden before finishing a close third behind Joshua Webb and subsequent hurdle winner Jungle Junction.
Energumene was an odds-on favourite to build on that promising debut effort in a Thurles bumper in January.
Again ridden by Patrick Mullins, he duly delivered, racing prominently throughout and scoring readily from Frontal Assault (has since finished a creditable second to Cheltenham-bound Ferny Hollow) and Curlew Hill which let the form down at Thurles on Thursday.
Today’s race doesn’t look particularly competitive. And it’s significant Mullins is allowing Townend to ride the six-year-old, having historically given Ruby Walsh the weekend off ahead of Cheltenham. A competent round of jumping should see Energumene land the spoils.
The featured Holden Plant Rentals Shamrock Handicap Chase looks wide-open. And
representing the local mother and son combination of Mags and Danny Mullins, is suggested as a tentative each-way selection.
Generally disappointing, the grey has only won a bumper and a beginners chase since finishing second to Fayonagh in the 2017 Weatherbys Champion Bumper at Cheltenham.
But he promises to be a better chaser than he was a hurdler. And there was plenty to like about his chase debut success at Fairyhouse in November.
In three subsequent starts, Debuchet was third to Minella Till Dawn in Cork and finished in mid-division behind Éclair De Beaufeu in a €100,000 handicap at Leopardstown.
But it’s his second to Greanateen in a novice handicap at Ascot before Christmas which catches the eye as his conqueror has gone on to triumph at Musselburgh and Fakenham, off marks of 138 and 147 respectively and is a leading fancy for next week’s Grand Annual at Cheltenham.
Although Debuchet possibly has a few issues, he handles testing ground, jumps well and is sure to be given a cheery ride by Danny Mullins. And, on that basis, I expect him to be in the shake-up in a tricky race.