Henry de Bromhead’s State Man upsets champion Honeysuckle in the Irish Champion Hurdle (Breandán Ó hUallacháin)
By Breandán Ó hUallacháin
What champion jumps trainer Willie Mullins can achieve on a Saturday; he can also achieve on a Sunday.
Yesterday on day one of the Dublin Racing Festival at Leopardstown Racecourse in Ireland, the top conditioner claimed a trio of Grade 1 victories. On Sunday, day two of the festival at the South County Dublin venue, the County Carlow-based handler matched the feat.
The day two highlight, the Grade 1 Chanelle Pharma Irish Champion Hurdle, was viewed as a battle between three-time winner of the race Honeysuckle and the young pretender to her crown, State Man. The former, a dual Cheltenham Champion Hurdle winner, is trained by Henry de Bromhead, while the latter comes from the all-conquering Willie Mullins stables.
The large crowd saw a battle between the two principals in a select five-runner field over the 2-mile distance. The attendance did not get the result they wanted, however, as they cheered the brave Honeysuckle all the way to the line, but, ultimately, the young challenger had too much in reserve for her.
The six-year-old chestnut State Man and rider Paul Townend had four-and three-quarter lengths in hand on Honeysuckle and jockey Rachael Blackmore at the winning line, while Vauban was third home, another half-length behind.
“Paul (Townend) surprised me when he came into the parade ring, and I asked him what he was going to do. He said he was going to make it (make the pace). The horse is not used to being in front, but he jumped well enough in front. Paul thought he was a bit idle in front as well, but he did everything right. I couldn’t ask for anymore. He jumped like a Champion Hurdler all the way down the back, I thought. He came up every time.”
Jockey Danny Mullins, who won the Grade 1 Donohue Marquees Spring Juvenile Hurdle with Gala Marceau yesterday, completed a double today. He claimed the Grade 1 Ladbrokes Dublin Steeplechase with Gentleman De Mee before later winning the Grade 1 Tattersalls Ireland Novice Hurdle.
A replacement ride for Danny Mullins, who deputised for Mark Walsh when injured in the opening race of the afternoon, Gentleman De Mee ran out a seven-length victor of the two miles one furlong contest, while his other winner at the highest level, Il Etait Temps, was even more impressive, running out a nine and a half length victor.
Mullins, riding both winners for his trainer uncle Willie, gave the JP McManus-owned gelded son of Saint Des Saints, Gentleman De Mee, an enterprising ride from the front before running his rivals into submission in the home stretch. The odds-on favourite Blue Lord, also from the Willie Mullins stable, was second for rider Paul Townend, while Sceau Royal, in the same ownership as the runner-up, in the colours of Simon Munir and Isaac Souede, was three and three-quarter lengths further behind in third place.
The winning handler, Willie Mullins, for whom it was another Grade 1 win of the weekend, stated:
“I thought Danny (Mullins) was very brave on him. He was asking everywhere, the whole way down the back and the horse was loving it, responding to him. I thought it was a terrific performance. I was very happy with his last bit of work the other morning. Things didn’t go right for him at Christmas. His piece of work on Thursday was very good. I was very happy to see how he was moving, and possibly a bit of drier ground here maybe played to his strengths.”
Il Etait Temps, the second part of the Danny Mullins-ridden Grade 1 double, a son of Jukebox Jury, defeated Inthepocket from the Henry De Bromhead yard, with Dark Raven just missing out on the runner-up spot by a neck. The hot favourite in the race, the previously unbeaten Facile Vega saw his bubble burst as he came home last of the five finishers.
“It’s a brilliant weekend,” stated jockey in form, Danny Mullins. “I’m just riding good horses – that’s the main part of it. There was no fluke (shock/surprise) about that little fright he gave Facile Vega at Christmas – the writing was on the wall for the clever ones who could see it. He kept galloping well, a good performance. He had been running well in Grade 1s last year and it is no fluke that he is achieving this now.”
Grade 1 Drinmore Chase winner earlier this season, Mighty Potter (1/1f), repelled five challengers from the Willie Mullins stable to impressively win the Grade 1 Ladbrokes Novice Steeplechase over two miles 5 furlongs 44 yards. The only non-Willie Mullins-trained horse in the race – coming from the yard of Gordon Elliott – the six-year-old bay gelding was an eight-and-a-half length winner over Adamantly Chosen and jockey Brian Hayes, with Gaillard Du Mesnil, the perceived first string from the Mullins establishment based on jockey bookings, another length and a quarter next home in third place.
“He is a good horse. I was nervous as we had a few shocks yesterday. He was our first one that really had to win. He looks as though he is settling now. Before he was keen when he gets to the front.”
With trainer Willie Mullins winning six of the eight Grade 1 races, and Danny Mullins taking three of them, the powerful Mullins racing family dominated the two-day Dublin Racing Festival.
