Willie Mullins dominates at Dublin Racing Festival

Willie Mullins had a weekend to remember after he trained six Grade 1’s at the Dublin Racing Festival in Leopardstown last weekend.

Mullins has been the pre-eminent figure since the inauguration of the Dublin Racing Festival and he secured the opening three races on Day 1, starting off with Minella Cocooner (11/1), who benefited from an absolute peach of a ride by red-hot jockey Danny Mullins to score in the Grade 1 Nathaniel Lacy Solicitors Novice Hurdle by two and three-quarter lengths from another John Nallen product, Minella Crooner.

It was a ninth Grade 1 triumph for the trainer’s nephew since winning at this meeting on Asterion Forlonge two years ago, a period that also included a lengthy spell on the sidelines with a broken neck.

Vauban (9/4) and Paul Townend lowered the colours of previously unbeaten Fil Dor (6/5f) in stunning fashion, travelling powerfully throughout and though the runner-up battled hard, he was no match for the Rich Ricci-owned four-year-old. who had a cosy three lengths to spare at the line in the Grade 1 Racing TV €12 Per Month Juvenile Hurdle.

It was much harder work for Townend as he completed his double on Blue Lord (5/2) in the Grade 1 Ward Solicitors Irish Arkle Novice Chase.

Simon Munir and Isaac Souede’s seven-year-old had to pull out all the stops to hold off the rallying 2/1 favourite Riviere D’etel by a half-length, who might be deemed an unlucky loser having led at the last before making a critical error.

However, the winning trainer maintained that his charge was idling rather than tiring.

The winner had to survive a stewards’ enquiry after veering across the runner-up after the last, while stablemate Saint Sam boxed on well after setting a searching gallop back in third.

The four-timer was completed by the day’s most spectacular victor, as Facile Vega (8/11f), a son of six-time Cheltenham heroine Quevega, bolted home under Patrick Mullins in the Grade 2 Goffs Future Stars INH Flat Race by 12 lengths from Sandor Clegane.

Having bagged a four-timer on day one of the Dublin Racing Festival, including three Grade 1s, the Closutton colossus brought his weekend tally to seven by garnering three more Grade 1s, Paul Townend on navigational duties for all three to bring his top-tier tally for the meeting to five.

Galopin Des Champs (4/9f) wowed in the Ladbrokes Novice Chase, Chacun Pour Soi (4/7f) returned to his peak with his hat-trick in the Ladbrokes Dublin Chase and Sir Gerhard (8/13) made light of some poor jumping errors to land the Tattersalls Ireland Novice Hurdle but the day was all about the queen of Irish racing Honeysuckle.

Heaven Help Us made sure the Chanelle Pharma Irish Champion Hurdle was a properly run race before giving away to the front two at the third last. Blackmore moved to the front turning in and quickly put the race to bed on the 1/5 favourite.

Townend was happy to track the pace-setting French Dynamite on Galopin Des Champs in the Ladbrokes Novice Chase and though he might not have jumped just quiet as flawlessly as when winning his beginner’s chase at this track at Christmas, there was only one winner when his pilot gave him the office.

Paddy Corkery’s Limerick Grade 1 winner Master McShee probably put in a career-best effort under an excellent Ian Power ride to be a very good second nine lengths back with Gaillard Du Mesnil a further five and a half lengths in arrears in third.

There was never a moment’s worry for supporters of Chacun Pour Soi (4/7f), who had 12 lengths in hand of Dunvegan, trained by Pat Fahy.

Sir Gerhard led from the outset and was a six-length victor over Three Stripe Life in the Tattersalls Ireland Novice Hurdle but Townend reckoned that last year’s Champion Bumper winner would have benefited significantly for the experience ahead of the Cheltenham Festival.