PHOTO FINISHES RACE FOR FINIAN’S OSCAR
No reason given for Townend’s odd move
PAUL TOWNEND’S riding boots and breeches were visible inside the door to the steward’s room.
The former champion jockey attached to the Willie Mullins stable was sitting quietly on a chair and in no mood to talk to the hovering press corps, according to a Turf Club official. His silence was damning. We know that Townend was hit with a 21-day ban for ‘dangerous riding’ on Al Boum Photo in a sensational finale to the Growise Champion Novice Chase.
The suspension wasn’t unexpected but the mystery of what caused Townend to act remains.
Approaching the final fence of a hugely eventful three-miler, which saw the prominent Monalee fall at the second-last and bring down Invitation Only, Townend had the Grade One race in his grasp.
Suddenly, he looked to his right, and tried to steer his mount towards the wings as if trying to pull up.
In doing so, Al Boum Photo careered into Finian’s Oscar, the mount of Robbie Power, who was diverted wide of the fence.
In contrast, Townend smacked into the rail and was sent sprawling on the turf as Al Boum Photo, who has a history of final-fence dramatics, galloped on, seemingly fine.
Did Townend think the final fence was to be avoided? He had no reason to be so minded.
Did he think his horse had gone wrong? Maybe. It seemed the most plausible explanation, for Townend is a very experienced pilot.
If so, why didn’t he pull up to the left of the fence, where there was a gap and no traffic? Punters who backed the 11/2 shot were clamouring to know.
Whatever, the race was turned on its head for the Mullins team, to the benefit of rival Gordon Elliott as The Storyteller availed of the chaos to sluice home at odds of 16/1.
‘I was concentrating on coming third on my fellow, which would have been a career best, when a gap opened in front of me,’ said jockey Davy Russell.
Elliott, who was down by the last fence, could scarcely believe his eyes.
‘It all happened so quickly but it worked out great for me. We got a bit of luck on our side there,’ he said.
For Mullins, a winning pot of €60,000 was ripped from his grasp and passed to Elliott, who picked up a further €30,000 in place money through Monbeg Notorious and Jury Duty.
On such swings, the destination of the Irish trainer’s title may yet be decided.
For their final shootout of a punishing season, jump racing’s heavyweights Mullins and Elliott sprang from the stools, put their guard in place and traded blows. Did we expect anything less? No. Not when the two trainers saddled a staggering 71 horses between them on the opening day of the Festival.
No one was expected to get a look-in; and no one did. Between them, they shared the five major races on the card and banked over €586,000 in win and place money.
Under weeping skies in Kildare, Mullins landed the heavier punches early on, notably with an Un De Sceaux-Douvan one-two in the Champion Chase.
If the finishing order wasn’t what punters expected in the 19,182 crowd, the outcome wasn’t in doubt when Patrick Mullins gunned his 10-year-old at his fences from halfway.
Turning in, Townend on Douvan was sending out distress signals and by the line Un De Sceaux (9/2) had chalked up another pillar-to-post victory, his 19th in his career, ninth at Grade One level.
The iron horse of the Mullins team has won over €1.33million in prizemoney for the O’Connells, his Cork owners. ‘They get sweeter and sweeter. This is right up there,’ said a beaming Paul O’Connell.
Meanwhile, Mullins doffed his trilby to the winner, claiming it was ‘a hell of a performance.’
With wins for Draconien (25/1) in the Champion Novice Hurdle and True Self (12/1) in the Killashee Handicap Hurdle, Mullins was on a roll and had cut the gap on Elliott to €226,714.
‘It’s a great start to the week. I don’t think we could improve on that,’ he said after the Champion Chase.
But Elliott wasn’t backing off and he replied with a brace of 1-23 coups in the Land Rover Bumper — Commander Of Fleet (5/1) was an eye-catching winner — and then the gripping Growise Chase with The Storyteller.
Elliot’s fightback built his advantage back up to €405,839 and he still has Samcro, among others, to fire.
There is much to play for between now and Saturday and Townend will pray for the chance to make amends for yesterday’s inexplicable events.