WILLIAM THE CONQUEROR
Brilliant Kemboy leads another Mullins rout
KEMBOY crowned Willie Mullins’ domination of the Dublin Racing Festival with a gutsy victory in the Paddy Power Irish Gold Cup at Leopardstown.
The success under the trainer’s nephew Danny gave Ireland’s champion trainer a remarkable sixth Grade One triumph from eight toplevel races staged over the meeting’s two days.
“When it comes together, it gives a lot of satisfaction to the whole team,” said Mullins, who walked away with nine of the fixture’s 14 races.
“It’s a tremendous initiative to put on a weekend like this – I’m not sure there has been that calibre of horse at a two-day race meeting ever in the British Isles.”
While Kemboy could take in the Cheltenham Gold Cup or the Stayers’ Hurdle at the National Hunt Festival, the Co Carlow trainer was left in awe by the performance of Monkfish in the Grade One Flogas Novice Chase.
Having watched last season’s Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle victor score by 11 lengths under Paul Townend – he is now the 4-5 hotpot for Cheltenham’s three-mile Festival Novices’ Chase – Mullins, left, smiled: “This fella has some potential. Everything is so effortless. The horse was fantastic and Paul was fantastic on him.”
Appreciate It hardened to 7-4 market leader for Cheltenham’s Supreme Novices’ Hurdle after capturing the Grade One Chanelle Pharma Novices’ Hurdle.
Only Gordon Elliott could break Mullins monopoly of the Sunday Grade Ones as 4-6 shot Quixilios took the Juvenile Hurdle.