Outgunned Mullins still delivers with four-timer

IT’S not often Willie Mullins gets jocked off top billing at the Leopardstown Christmas Festival after a 208/1 four-timer. On a grim, grey afternoon at Foxrock, Mullins mopped up the Best Supporting award but missed out on the grade one Oscars for the Christmas Hurdle and Savills Chase - he did everything but win the latter, with a 2-3-4-5 finish. Even so, in a winner’s business, the champion trainer keeps on delivering, in spades.

He’s now had nine first past the post at Leopardstown, along with three at Limerick to make it a Festive dozen so far. No one would bet against him adding to that total today. Three of yesterday’s Leopardstown quartet raced in the familiar black and yellow check silks of Joe Donnelly, as carried by such heavy National Hunt hitters as Al Boum Photo and Shiskin. And while it’s too early to speculate if rookies Gaillaid Du Mesnil, The Big Getaway and Ramillies might scale the heights of the dual Gold Cup winner and 2020 Supreme Novices Hurdle hero, this was a decent collective start. With Paul Townend on top of his game, Gaillard Du Mesnil coasted to success in the opening two and a half mile maiden hurdle. ‘I was very impressed. The jump he put in at the second last showed me there was plenty left in the tank. He wasn’t stopping and there’s improvement to come when he steps up in grade,’ observed Mullins. ‘We might look at the two mile two furlong grade one here at the Dublin Racing Festival. We’ve also got Appreciate It and I’m keen to keep them apart for the moment.’ The Big Getaway, under Townend, had ten lengths in hand in the Ballymaloe Foods Beginner Chase and could be aimed next at the grade one Flogas Chase. While there was a better Bumper outcome than the one on Sunday as Ramillies left his rivals trailing as Patrick Mullins did the steering. Mullins also chipped in with a 16/1 winner, Dandy Mag, in the Pertemps Handicap Hurdle qualifier, his second winner at such a big price in handicap company at the Festival.