Horse Antepost
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17 Dec 12
17:25
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05 Jan 10
By Niall Cronin
http://www.herald.ie
Monday December 17 2012
"MAMMY said there'd be days like this" tweeted Davy Russell as he left Navan Racecourse prematurely yesterday afternoon.
It wasn't a day that the champion jockey, Cheltenham Festival-winning rider or HRI Awards winner will want to remember. Three rides, three falls and advice from the racecourse doctor to take an early shower summed up a disappointing day for the Youghal man.
And Navan yesterday posed so many contrasts. Compared to Russell, Ruby Walsh left beaming, with four winners to add to his three at Cheltenham the previous day.
Gordon Elliott had three fallers and Plan A pulled up on bottomless ground as Willie Mullins raced to the quickest century for any trainer in Ireland.
Stumbling
Don Cossack's promise and the excitement around him hasn't gone away, but he was beat when stumbling and coming down after the last in the feature, while Pont Alexandre exploded on the scene with a winning debut for Willie Mullins.
The final contrast is probably the ground which, as heavy as it was, probably makes light of the significance of bookmakers' rushed odds for the Cheltenham Festival in March when we will all be hoping that the horses who ran at Navan with credentials to go to the Cotswolds will get the better ground they are likely to crave.
However, when a trainer of Mullins' stature speaks so glowingly about a horse you have to stand back and take note.
Mullins has already trained 63 winners more than any other trainer in Ireland this season and he couldn't remember unleashing a horse with such potential into a Grade One for the first time as Pont Alexandre.
A hurdle winner in France prior to Mullins' purchase, the trainer admitted: "He was as nice a horse as I have ever seen and the man selling him was looking for a bag of money for him, but I rang my client and told him that we should buy him.
"I was mad about him the minute I laid eyes on him and there was a lot of people willing to give a lot of money but I was bullish that I wanted him."
With such bullishness comes a sense of expectation from the aforementioned client, who was Rich Ricci, and a sense of anxiousness from the trainer.
"I was a little worried through the spring and autumn as he wasn't really showing me a lot at home. I was worried we might have bought a big dud, but he came alive in the last two to three weeks," revealed Mullins.
As for the next eagerly anticipated step for the horse, who is now the 7/1 market leader with **** for the Neptune Investments Novices' Hurdle and 8/1 for the Albert Bartlett, Mullins is unsure.
"The obvious race for him is the Slaney Hurdle at Naas but I would imagine that Champagne Fever will be going there and I won't let them take each other on. As for Cheltenham, I wouldn't make a decision yet but he could go for either race depending on ground."
Gordon Elliott thankfully revealed that Don Cossack appeared none the worse for his fall and admitted "that wasn't the real Don Cossack -- he was very laboured."
It was hard to imagine that Mullins would be so sombre after the win of Boston Bob on his chasing debut but the champion trainer was "unimpressed" by the workmanlike performance of the 1/5 shot who instigated a treble for the trainer and a four-timer for Ruby Walsh.
Mullins' initial reaction was that "he made hard work of that", but on further reflection he hoped that the extremely testing ground and the fact that runner-up You Must Know Me is above average led to Boston Bob being far less comfortable than was expected.
Equalled
A memorable day for the Mullins family came in the concluding Grade Two bumper, as Patrick Mullins equalled the record of 72 winners for an amateur in a calendar year which dated back to Billy Parkinson in 1915.
Mullins was sent off a 3/1 shot on Union Deus as Champagne James was favourite for Ted and Katie Walsh, and the winner will now be aimed at the Cheltenham Champion Bumper, according to the winning trainer.
As well as Boston Bob and Pont Alexandre, Walsh's four-timer came as Wingtips opened his hurdling account for Tony Martin and the same trainer saw Matsukazee oblige in the handicap hurdle.
The Grade Two Tara Hurdle went the way of Peter Fahey's consistent Owega Star in the hands of his brother-in-law Andrew Leigh.
The five-year-old was winning for the fourth time and is set to have a light campaign with a view of going chasing next season, according to the Kildare trainer.
"He deserved that as he never runs a bad race.
"He might only have one or two more runs this season and we'll give him a long break and bring him back early next season to go novice chasing.
"I can't wait for that with him as he is such a good jumper."
http://www.herald.ie
Monday December 17 2012
"MAMMY said there'd be days like this" tweeted Davy Russell as he left Navan Racecourse prematurely yesterday afternoon.
It wasn't a day that the champion jockey, Cheltenham Festival-winning rider or HRI Awards winner will want to remember. Three rides, three falls and advice from the racecourse doctor to take an early shower summed up a disappointing day for the Youghal man.
And Navan yesterday posed so many contrasts. Compared to Russell, Ruby Walsh left beaming, with four winners to add to his three at Cheltenham the previous day.
Gordon Elliott had three fallers and Plan A pulled up on bottomless ground as Willie Mullins raced to the quickest century for any trainer in Ireland.
Stumbling
Don Cossack's promise and the excitement around him hasn't gone away, but he was beat when stumbling and coming down after the last in the feature, while Pont Alexandre exploded on the scene with a winning debut for Willie Mullins.
The final contrast is probably the ground which, as heavy as it was, probably makes light of the significance of bookmakers' rushed odds for the Cheltenham Festival in March when we will all be hoping that the horses who ran at Navan with credentials to go to the Cotswolds will get the better ground they are likely to crave.
However, when a trainer of Mullins' stature speaks so glowingly about a horse you have to stand back and take note.
Mullins has already trained 63 winners more than any other trainer in Ireland this season and he couldn't remember unleashing a horse with such potential into a Grade One for the first time as Pont Alexandre.
A hurdle winner in France prior to Mullins' purchase, the trainer admitted: "He was as nice a horse as I have ever seen and the man selling him was looking for a bag of money for him, but I rang my client and told him that we should buy him.
"I was mad about him the minute I laid eyes on him and there was a lot of people willing to give a lot of money but I was bullish that I wanted him."
With such bullishness comes a sense of expectation from the aforementioned client, who was Rich Ricci, and a sense of anxiousness from the trainer.
"I was a little worried through the spring and autumn as he wasn't really showing me a lot at home. I was worried we might have bought a big dud, but he came alive in the last two to three weeks," revealed Mullins.
As for the next eagerly anticipated step for the horse, who is now the 7/1 market leader with **** for the Neptune Investments Novices' Hurdle and 8/1 for the Albert Bartlett, Mullins is unsure.
"The obvious race for him is the Slaney Hurdle at Naas but I would imagine that Champagne Fever will be going there and I won't let them take each other on. As for Cheltenham, I wouldn't make a decision yet but he could go for either race depending on ground."
Gordon Elliott thankfully revealed that Don Cossack appeared none the worse for his fall and admitted "that wasn't the real Don Cossack -- he was very laboured."
It was hard to imagine that Mullins would be so sombre after the win of Boston Bob on his chasing debut but the champion trainer was "unimpressed" by the workmanlike performance of the 1/5 shot who instigated a treble for the trainer and a four-timer for Ruby Walsh.
Mullins' initial reaction was that "he made hard work of that", but on further reflection he hoped that the extremely testing ground and the fact that runner-up You Must Know Me is above average led to Boston Bob being far less comfortable than was expected.
Equalled
A memorable day for the Mullins family came in the concluding Grade Two bumper, as Patrick Mullins equalled the record of 72 winners for an amateur in a calendar year which dated back to Billy Parkinson in 1915.
Mullins was sent off a 3/1 shot on Union Deus as Champagne James was favourite for Ted and Katie Walsh, and the winner will now be aimed at the Cheltenham Champion Bumper, according to the winning trainer.
As well as Boston Bob and Pont Alexandre, Walsh's four-timer came as Wingtips opened his hurdling account for Tony Martin and the same trainer saw Matsukazee oblige in the handicap hurdle.
The Grade Two Tara Hurdle went the way of Peter Fahey's consistent Owega Star in the hands of his brother-in-law Andrew Leigh.
The five-year-old was winning for the fourth time and is set to have a light campaign with a view of going chasing next season, according to the Kildare trainer.
"He deserved that as he never runs a bad race.
"He might only have one or two more runs this season and we'll give him a long break and bring him back early next season to go novice chasing.
"I can't wait for that with him as he is such a good jumper."
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