The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Four-timer delight for Mullins and Walsh
Irish eyes are smiling as they dominate day three at Cheltenham
After a dismal first two days at the Cheltenham Festival, Willie Mullins hit back in style with a magnificent fourtimer on an afternoon when Ireland won six of the seven races.
The day started in great style with Yorkhill living up to the hype in the JLT Novices’ Chase to win at the meeting for the second successive season.
Sent off 6-4 favourite, he had a few question marks over his jumping but his ability has never been in doubt.
“Everything can’t go your way all the time and you have to prepare for that,” said Ruby Walsh.
“He’s got Gold Cup horse written all over him and always had.”
Un De Sceaux (7-4 favourite), winner of the Arkle two years ago but no match for Sprinter Sacre in the Queen Mother last year, put in a spectacular display in the Ryanair.
Walsh eventually conceded to let the strong-willed gelding go to the front and he was never headed.
“He’s an absolute iron horse, he’s like that on the gallops every day,” said Mullins.
“As for the King George I don’t know if you’d want him doing that over three miles.
“He can come back to two miles for Punchestown, I’d say.”
Perhaps the unexpected success came from Nichols Canyon (10-1), a multiple Grade One winner over two miles but trying three miles for the first time in Britain or Ireland in the Sun Bets Stayers’ Hurdle.
Favourite U now ha time an harry had no excuses back in third, but it was heart-breaking for connections of Lil Rockerfeller who looked sure to win at one stage.
Owner Graham Wylie was winning the race for the fourth time after the three successes of Inglis Drever.
Wylie said: “When I told Willie to buy a horse for me, he rang me up and said ‘I think I’ve found you the next Inglis Drever’.
“He looks like Inglis Drever as he’s only a pony, but he flew up the hill. Ruby told me he’d ride him like that to make sure he got the trip.”
Let’s Dance (11-8 favourite) was a first winner of the week for high-profile owner Rich Ricci in the Trull House Mares’ Novice’ Hurdle.
He quipped: “We’re late to the party, but we’ve brought the music.”
Presenting Percy (11-1) provided his connections with back-to-back wins in the Pertemps Final, despite making loud noises they thought he was badly handicapped.
Winning jockey Davy Russell said: “To be honest the credit has to go to Pat Kelly (trainer), he’s a master and he improved for the better ground and I’d like to apologise to Phil Smith (BHA handicapper), maybe he was right (to give him more weight than his official Irish rating).”
Noel Meade then celebrated his first ever winner over fences at the meeting when Road To Respect (14-1) was an easy winner of the Brown Advisory & Merriebelle Stable Plate Handicap Chase, providing Bryan Cooper with a second winner of the week.
The sole British success came in the Fulke Walwyn Kim Muir Challenge Cup when Stuart Edmunds’ Domesday Book (40-1) caught Pendra on the run-in, under a jubilant Gina Andrews.
The latter said: “This has literally been my lifetime ambition, just to ride here never mind win.”
The sad news was that Nicky Henderson lost his second horse of the week following Consul De Thaix when Hadrian’s Approach broke a leg in the Kim Muir. John Kiely’s Irish raider Toe The Line slipped up on the level in the race won by Let’s Dance and also had to be put down.