No contest as Irish win six out of seven races
By the time Willie Mullins had notched his seventh success of this year’s meeting with Laurina, the week’s most facile winner, in the Trull House Stud Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle, and supplanted Nicky Henderson as the leading all-time Festival trainer with 61 victories, the overwhelming domination of the watering hole by a few big beasts was all but complete.
By last night, the cartel of Mullins, Gordon Elliott (six) and Henderson (only two, but the two biggest prizes so far) had won 15 of the 21 races. For better or for worse, it was easier for the smaller animals to get a drink when this was a three-day meeting.
Mullins’ theory about Ireland’s numerical domination is simple: “It’s totally down to the programme, race planning and the prize money they give to good horses in Ireland,” he said. “Good horses are rewarded in Ireland, they don’t have to go handicapping like they do over here.
“Over here, a lot of novices have to go through a handicap to win any prize money and you leave a lot of good horses behind that way. Our programme is better I think and it is reflected in these results.”
No matter how many more winners Mullins saddles today, none will come near the feat of sending out Penhill, owned by Tony Bloom, to win the Sun Bets Stayers’ Hurdle. Last year’s Albert Bartlett winner, who has been sidelined by injury since April, outstayed Supasundae up the hill in a battle royal.
Mullins did, however, attribute the win to Penhill’s lass, Holly Conte. “She’s virtually trained him herself,” he said. “She minds him because he is fragile. When we went to get him ready for the Flat last summer – that’s when the problems started and I’m thinking, if we don’t go for the Flat, we can have a better winter next year.”
Sam Spinner, the favourite, was a respectable fifth. “It was probably a year too soon,” said jockey Joe Colliver. “I’d have been better with a lead. Out in front, he was concen- trating on everything but the race. He has only run nine times.”
The list of the other trainers to have tasted success this week is so short I can swiftly run through them: Mick Channon, Tom George, Nick Williams, Pat Kelly, Warren Greatrex and Henry de Bromhead.
Against the backdrop of superpower domination, De Bromhead did well to get his name on the scorecard with Balko Des Flos in the Ryanair Chase, but even he needed the patronage of heavy-hitter Michael O’leary and the services of Davy Russell, both men with three winners on the day.
“I’m thinking I should run the goat,” said O’leary after he had won the first three races.
I am not sure whether Ruby Walsh left his boots in the weighing room on Wednesday night but Russell seemed to be wearing them.
He was lucky not to follow the owner of those boots to hospital after a fall in Wednesday’s crosscountry and was effusive in his thanks to Brian Hughes, who fetched an ice machine from his car before changing after the bumper.
With Cue Card pulled up at the last ditch on what may be his swansong, Balko Des Flos cruised past Un De Sceaux at the second-last and came home by 4½ lengths.
It was O’leary’s 13th attempt at winning his own race. “I’ve had a runner every year we’ve sponsored,” he said. “This is very special. It’s cost me a fortune trying to win my own race. I think we’ll keep the sponsorship going now!
“If the ground had been good, I’d have thought he had a chance. But I don’t think this is as testing as real soft in Ireland. When it’s soft/heavy here, it’s like good/firm for the Irish! Balko is a going the right way. Imperial Commander won this and the Gold Cup. I don’t know if he’ll stay.”
The first winner of the day was Elliott’s Shattered Love. I dare say it succinctly sums up how the smaller trainer feels about the Festival now.