Princess Zoe has to settle for dead-heat on jumping debut

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Princess Zoe had to settle for a share of the honours on her jumping debut at Punchestown, after a dead-heat finish to the Bar One Racing “Bet 10 Get 50 Sign Up Offer” Mares Maiden Hurdle.

The Tony Mullins-trained grey has been a fantastic servant over the past four years, with a Group One triumph in the 2020 Prix du Cadran the highlight of a Flat career that also saw he win the Group Three Sagaro Stakes at Ascot and finish second to Subjectivist in the Gold Cup.

She looked set to be retired for broodmare duties in 2023, but failed to meet her reserve price at the Tattersalls December Sale, prompting connections into a rethink.

Following a pleasing schooling session last week, Princess Zoe was given the green light to give hurdling a go with a view to a potential appearance at the Cheltenham Festival in March.

Despite her exploits on the level, she was not even favourite for her first start in the National Hunt sphere, with the Willie Mullins-trained Pink In The Park preferred at a shade of odds-on at 10-11.

The top two in the market were the first two in the race for much of the two-and-a-half-mile journey, with 5-4 chance Princess Zoe asserting into a clear lead on the second circuit under Danny Mullins.

Having jumped adequately in the main, the eight-year-old looked to have victory sewn up after travelling strongly into the straight, but she flattened the final flight, giving Henry de Bromhead’s Ladybank – carrying the Honeysuckle colours of Kenny Alexander under Rachael Blackmore – a real shot on the run-in.

There was nothing to choose between the pair on the approach to the winning line and they flashed by as one. After a tense wait, the judge confirmed he could not split them and declared a dead-heat.

Paddy Power make Princess Zoe a 16-1 chance for the Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle at Cheltenham, which appears likely to be her target over the Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle.

Tony Mullins with Princess Zoe at Punchestown
Tony Mullins with Princess Zoe at Punchestown (Gary Carson/PA)

And Mullins, who admitted to being nervous about whether his stable star would take to the jumping game, is confident there is more to come from her ahead of the Festival.

He said: “We’re very happy with her. Danny said he thought she was a little guessy on her own at one or two of them.

“At the moment we’re thinking of the mares’ novice at Cheltenham but it’s not definite. It looks the logical way as opposed to the Albert Bartlett.

“I thought she was a little gassy having not run for a while. That might have emptied her a little.

“We had all her work done at home but she needs that run to bring her to herself. Danny said when she was gassy early on he’d let her go to the front and then she just had nothing with her. I think it was a very good performance to jump out and make all.”

He added: “I’m very happy with her. She’s taken to jumping and she’s brave, usually they might be ducking at hurdles but she didn’t do any of that.

“I don’t think she’ll run again before Cheltenham.”

Looking beyond the Festival, Mullins is not ruling out the possibility of Princess Zoe reverting to the Flat for some of the major staying prizes later in the year.

Tony Mullins with Princess Zoe at the 2020 Galway Festival
Tony Mullins with Princess Zoe at the 2020 Galway Festival (PA)

He added: “Paddy (Kehoe, part-owner) has always said to me that as long as she’s able to run breeding is only secondary to him. Who am I to complain?

“It’s great for the likes of me because we’ll never have the likes of her again. She’s just a great mare.

“Something did happen last year (on the Flat), we never noticed in her work but maybe Kyprios is such a powerhouse that it emptied her.

“Every time we thought we were going to get back and show him but we never did. I’d say Kyprios is one of the all-time greats, that’s what I think. We might have another go at him.”

Weveallbeencaught poised for Leopardstown raid

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Nigel Twiston-Davies is prepared to take on the might of the Irish with Weveallbeencaught at this weekend’s Dublin Racing Festival at Leopardstown.

While the Naunton handler has enjoyed multiple victories at the Punchestown Festival over the years, he has saddled just one previous runner at Leopardstown, with Moorish finishing down the field in the richly-endowed Ladbroke Handicap Hurdle some 25 years ago.

Weveallbeencaught, a £210,000 purchase after winning an Irish point-to-point, made a successful debut for his new connections in a Newbury bumper last season and made a promising start over hurdles when third behind subsequent Challow winner Hermes Allen in a Grade Two at Cheltenham in November.

The six-year-old went on to justify favouritism in a maiden hurdle at Prestbury Park on New Year’s Day, beating Saturday’s Cheltenham winner Rock My Way, and will step up to Grade One level in the Nathaniel Lacy & Partners Solicitors “50,000 Cheltenham Bonus For Stable Staff” Novice Hurdle.

“That’s the plan. It was good to see the horse that was second to him winning at Cheltenham on Saturday. We’re very happy,” said Twiston-Davies.

“The owners wanted to go to Ireland. We’re going to have a crack and we’ll see how we do.”

Weveallbeencaught is an 8-1 shot with Paddy Power for the Dublin Racing Festival curtain-raiser, with Barry Connell’s Good Land heading the market at 2-1.

Other likely contenders for the two-mile-six-furlong contest on the opening afternoon include Henry de Bromhead’s Hiddenvalley Lake, the Paul Nolan-trained Sandor Clegane and American Mike from Gordon Elliott’s yard.

Goshen back for second try over the larger obstacles at Lingfield

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The multi-dimensional Goshen has another chance to tackle the larger obstacles when he lines up at Gary Moore’s local track Lingfield on Tuesday.

Already proven on the Flat and over hurdles, the seven-year-old made an eagerly-awaited chasing debut at Ascot on his seasonal bow – but struggled on ground quicker than ideal to trail home well beaten in third.

Since then he has thrived over hurdles in his two most recent outings, winning the Ascot Hurdle before finishing a brave second on a first try at three miles in the rearranged Long Walk Hurdle on Boxing Day.

But with an engagement during Lingfield’s Winter Million weekend lost to the weather and Moore searching for suitable options before Wincanton’s Kingwell Hurdle on February 18, Goshen has a second bite of the chasing cherry in the At The Races App Market Movers Beginners’ Chase that only has a maximum field of three.

“It will be a bit of fun won’t it,” said Moore.

“It’s such a great track for a novice and is just down the road – we thought why not? The next race over hurdles he can run in is at Wincanton, otherwise it is the stayers’ route and he isn’t going to win a Stayers’ Hurdle.”

Goshen is rated 18lb higher than both Christopher Wood and Quel Destin that stand in opposition, and Moore hopes the race will give a good indication of whether the seven-time hurdles winner has a future over fences.

“We shouldn’t really be trying to win a novice chase this year should we,” he continued. “But it will tell me if he’s good enough to go back over fences next year or not.

“We could have done with some rain really for him, it’s not really soft enough for him. But listen, if he can’t jump round there (Lingfield), he won’t jump round anywhere.

Goshen ridden by jockey Jamie Moore goes onto win the Virgin Bet Contenders Hurdle at Sandown Park racecourse last year
Goshen ridden by jockey Jamie Moore goes onto win the Virgin Bet Contenders Hurdle at Sandown Park racecourse last year (Steven Paston/PA)

“It’s not the way round he likes going but with only three runners he has to take his chance. The cheekpieces are on just to keep him a bit more focussed.

“If it was the other way round he would take a lot of beating, but left-handed and the ground being on the good to soft side might not be a help to him, he would be better on softer going.”

Lavelle points to lack of pace in Cleeve Hurdle as factor in Paisley Park defeat

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Emma Lavelle believes a lack of pace was a major factor behind Paisley Park’s unsuccessful bid for a fourth successive victory in the Cleeve Hurdle at Cheltenham on Saturday.

The popular stayer was beaten nine and a half lengths into third in the Grade Two contest as French raider Gold Tweet caused a minor upset in the Cotswolds.

Next on Paisley Park’s agenda is a fifth tilt at the Paddy Power Stayers’ Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival – a race he won in 2019 and has finished third in the past two seasons behind Flooring Porter.

The 11-year-old is a 20-1 shot to regain his crown with the race sponsors, but Lavelle is hopeful with a stronger gallop he can make his presence felt.

“He’s come out of it well. He seems good in himself, ate up overnight and seems absolutely fine,” said the Wiltshire-based trainer.

“I just think the fact that he was so close to the pace and travelling so comfortably suggested they just weren’t going quick enough for him to make it a test at the end of the race.

“There’s a myriad of reasons you could use or think or see, but for me they just hadn’t gone quick enough for him and Aidan (Coleman) slightly felt the same thing. He asked him, but wasn’t unreasonably hard on him coming up the hill, so we’ll just head on to the Stayers’, all things being equal.”

Gordon Elliott’s Galmoy Hurdle winner Teahupoo is the 11-4 favourite in a Stayers’ Hurdle market dominated by the Irish, with Home By The Lee, Blazing Khal and Flooring Porter all prominent, although the latter is far from certain to bid for the hat-trick following a recent setback.

Assessing the field, Lavelle added: “It does look wide-open and I think it always does going into that race. Teahupoo is a new one on the scene, obviously.

“With more runners at the Festival, they’re likely to go more of a gallop so we’ll see how we go.

“He’d had two hard races already this season before Saturday, but we can freshen him up now and get him back in March.

“He’s such an extraordinary horse and has been so good to us you can never be disappointed in him. Of course you want to win, but you can never walk away disappointed from those races as you know he’s always trying for you and we’ll see what comes next.”

Ryanair remains on Morris’ radar for French Dynamite

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The Ryanair Chase remains a possibility for French Dynamite following his second in the Horse & Jockey Hotel Chase at Thurles earlier this month.

Mouse Morris’ eight-year-old has enjoyed a good season to date, winning on his reappearance over hurdles and then going down by less than a length in the Paddy Power Gold Cup at Cheltenham in November.

He followed that by showing up well for a long way in the Savills Chase at Leapordstown over Christmas, before dropping back in trip to chase home Fakir d’Oudairies in Grade Two company most recently.

Leopardstown Races – Sunday 7th March
French Dynamite, here winning over hurdles at Leopardstown, could be a live outsider in the Ryanair Chase (Niall Carson/PA)

Having settled on the two-and-a-half-mile distance, it now appears that ground conditions could be the determining factor on whether Morris’ charge gets a shot at the Ryanair at the Cheltenham Festival – a race for which he is a best price of 33-1 with bet365.

“I thought French Dynamite ran a cracker on difficult ground,” said Morris.

“He is a good ground horse and I think that distance (two and a half miles) is bang on.

“I have a plan if the ground is good and we’ll have to think about something like the Ryanair Chase, but will have a meeting first to decide.”

Sean Quinlan speaks of real struggle with new whip rules

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Sean Quinlan has called for trainers to support the riding ranks in pushing for further discussion with the British Horseracing Authority over imminent changes to the whip rules.

Revised regulation is due to be fully implemented from February 13, with the very worst whip offences resulting in disqualification of horses and riding bans of 20 days – a tariff which will be doubled in class one and two races.

The BHA had initially proposed to prohibit the use of the whip in the forehand position – but reversed that decision following discussions after outcry from jockeys, instead opting to cut permitted use of the whip to six and seven strikes in Flat and jump races respectively, whilst also toughening up the penalty structure.

Using the whip above shoulder height will incur a four-day ban when the rules are properly introduced, with a soft launch currently in place with riders advised of what would constitute future breaches and what penalty they would have been given.

Quinlan claimed he would have been banned for 51 days over the last week as he tries to refine his riding technique, but feels further conversation is needed with the BHA as he is not the only member of the weighing room struggling to stay within the new framework.

He told Sky Sports Racing: “I’m trying my best. I’ve done it for 20 years and used my whip – but now with this new rule apparently I’m breaking the rules with my hand coming above head height. 

“I am trying. I’ve had a few trainers and a few owners telling me I’m not actually riding to the best of my ability and it is affecting me a little bit. I actually threw my stick away in the last race as you’re just thinking about it the whole time. 

“It’s playing on every one of us. Brian Hughes is champion jockey and very rarely gets a whip ban, he’s been in and out of the stewards’ room – we all have. 

“We’re trying our best, but something needs to be done. I would have got 51 days last week, I’ve been called in six or seven times. 

“You’re trying to win a race for an owner but then you’re trying not to get banned for something that has been working for 20 years and now you’re not allowed to do it. 

“My action makes me get back to hit the horse in the right place. If I don’t use that action, I’m going to be catching the horse short. I’ve used that action and never had any problems with it. 

“We’ve got to keep on discussing with the BHA and we just need a lot of support from trainers.”

The whip review committee will be responsible for handing out suspensions under the new system. At its first meeting earlier this month 28 individual riders were referred and one jockey having contravened the rules enough to merit his mount being disqualified.

Bistro serves up a feast for Mullins in victory at Naas

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Seabank Bistro appears to have earned himself a place on Willie Mullins’ Cheltenham Festival team after making it third time lucky over hurdles at Naas.

A winner on his racecourse debut at the County Kildare circuit on this day last year, the six-year-old went on to finish fourth behind esteemed stablemate Facile Vega in the Champion Bumper at Cheltenham.

He was beaten at odds-on in his first two races over hurdles at Punchestown and Limerick, but made no mistake as a 1-2 shot for the I.N.H. Stallion Owners EBF Maiden Hurdle – travelling strongly to the lead under Paul Townend and coming home with just under three lengths in hand.

Mullins said: “He’s a big immature horse. He did it nicely, he jumps well and is more of a chaser, I think.

“He’ll go out in trip I’d say, maybe to three miles. He was just gawky when he got to the front, he was just idling.

“Paul had to get after him to get up the straight, but that’s twice he’s won around Naas and it’s always a good sign when you can win on this track.

“I’d imagine he’ll get entries in Cheltenham in the Albert Bartlett and Ballymore, I’d be thinking more the Albert Bartlett at this stage.”

Seabank Bistro’s win was the middle leg of a treble on the card for Mullins, with Echoes In Rain impressing in the Limestone Lad Hurdle and Western Diego dominating from the front in the bumper.

A £125,000 purchase after winning an Irish point-to-point, Western Diego was ridden by the trainer’s son Patrick on his rules debut and comfortably justified 6-5 favouritism.

Western Diego looks a smart prospect
Western Diego looks a smart prospect (PA)

Mullins added: “It’s nice for Steve Parkin (owner) who is more associated with the Flat. He did it well making all his own running which is a hard thing to do around here.

“That books his ticket to go across the water (for the Champion Bumper) if Steve wants to go, which I’m sure he will.

“He stays well, he’s by Westerner. He looks like a nice staying novice for next year.”

Oliver McKiernan’s Aarons Day (3-1 favourite) secured his first win in almost three years in the Buy Your Naas 2023 Membership Now Novice Handicap Chase, with Phillip Enright the winning jockey.

The nine-year-old had been highly tried in novice company over fences and made the most of having his sights lowered with a seven-and-a-half-length verdict on his handicap chase debut.

Trainer Oliver McKiernan at Leopardstown
Trainer Oliver McKiernan at Leopardstown (Julien Behal/PA)

“We’re delighted and it was a great ride by Phillip,” said McKiernan.

“He was keeping better company than that for a while, maybe too good, but it taught him a bit. I think it told today that it taught him how to race a bit.

“He liked the ground and the track. We were hoping he’d do that but we were hoping before that he’d do different things!

“He’s a big moody gent. He’s difficult to handle and can blow a fuse very quickly. He’s big and powerful so it’s not simple. Hopefully he’s developing and getting better now.

“I have no plans really. He’ll probably stay at the likes of that and will stay further in time.”

The father-son team of Charles and Philip Byrnes teamed up to land the Cheltenham Trials Day At Naas February 11th Maiden Hurdle with 9-1 shot Byker.

Byrnes senior said: “He’s a lovely, big horse. He had a nice run in Limerick and came forward from that. We were hopeful today but there was so much word for a few others that we were getting worried.”

When asked if he could get an entry in the Boodles Juvenile Handicap Hurdle at Cheltenham, he added:- “He could but he’d need another run. We won’t rule it out.”

Doyen Ta Win was a 6-1 winner of the Congratulations Naas On Cleanest Town In Ireland In 2021 & 2022 Handicap Hurdle.

Mullins remaining upbeat despite Energumene eclipse

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Willie Mullins remains keen to take the positives out of Energumene’s defeat at Cheltenham on Saturday ahead of his return to the track for the Queen Mother Champion Chase.

The nine-year-old provided the most successful trainer in Festival history with a first Champion Chase victory last season and he was a hot favourite to strike Prestbury Park gold once more in the rescheduled Clarence House Chase – saved from the previous weekend’s abandoned fixture at Ascot.

But while Energumene travelled with plenty of zest, he ballooned the first fence and a blunder at the last sealed his fate as he placed third behind Editeur De Gite and Edwardstone.

Mullins felt his performance was affected by the white trim on the fences at Cheltenham, which have been changed from orange since his Festival success of last term, and the Closutton handler believes that experience will stand him in good stead ahead of a likely rematch with the two horses that beat him in March.

“He seems to be fine and he travelled home well,” said Mullins.

“He’s just a bit stiff and sore. Sometimes when you get them home it’s three days later, because any horse can be stiff and sore for a day or two and you don’t mind it, but if they don’t recover then you are in trouble.

“Fingers crossed, he’s all right.

“It was his first time going to England and jumping the new white fences, even though he had jumped them at home, and he just baulked at the first.

“It was definitely a useful exercise for us and I’d say it’s something a lot of Irish horses are going to have to prepare for because if you miss the first at Cheltenham, your race could be gone.”

Mullins is taking further confidence from his stable jockey Paul Townend’s reaction to the performance.

He added: “Paul was very keen on him after the race and said come March, he wouldn’t swap him for the two that finished in front of him.”

Guard rails, take-off boards and top boards on British obstacles switched from orange to white last year after research showed white increased contrast and visibility for horses, leading to improved jumping performance.

Echoes In Rain pours it on to take Limestone Lad honours

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Echoes In Rain got her season back on track with a runaway victory in the Naas Racecourse Business Club Limestone Lad Hurdle.

The seven-year-old had previously won five times since joining Willie Mullins, including Grade Two and Grade One wins in novice company over hurdles and a lucrative handicap success on the Flat at the Galway Festival last summer.

She was subsequently beaten a neck by Waterville in the Irish Cesarewitch before falling two flights from home on her return to the jumping game in the Hatton’s Grace at Fairyhouse last month.

Dropping in trip and class for this two-mile Grade Three, Echoes In Rain was the 5-6 favourite and those who took the cramped odds will have had few concerns as she cruised into contention under a motionless Paul Townend before pulling 10 lengths clear of stablemate Cash Back.

Dual Cheltenham Festival winner Bob Olinger stuck to his guns to finish third after coming under pressure leaving the back straight, but in truth looks a shadow of his former self.

“She did it nicely, probably better than I expected,” Mullins said of the winner.

“We thought we probably had the fastest horse in the race so Paul wasn’t in any rush to get to the front. He was happy enough to let someone else make it.

Trainer Willie Mullins at Leopardstown
Trainer Willie Mullins at Leopardstown (Brian Lawless/PA)

“She was keen enough as well and probably the few runs on the Flat lit her up a bit. That’s the problem you have when you mix it. With a faster-run race she’ll be all right.

“When you go up a grade, to Grade One, I’m not sure she’s sharp enough at two miles.

“The Mares’ Hurdle (at Cheltenham) is two and a half and maybe that’s where she’ll go. That would be the first port of call, I’d think.”

Paddy Power cut Echoes In Rain to 6-1 from 10-1 for the Close Brothers Mares’ Hurdle on March 14.

Champion jockey ambition still burns brightly for Marquand

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Uphill be damned. He knows it will be a mountainous task, possibly harder even than last year.

Yet Tom Marquand confesses he will relish the challenge.

Oisin Murphy, who was deposed by William Buick as champion jockey last term – a title he held for three successive seasons before that – returns next month following a 14-month ban.

Buick, who went so close the year before and arguably should have been top dog, has now gnawed that tasty bone and is salivating for another.

But that combination of great physical strength and a highly developed will to win, which has become his hallmark, ensures genial young pup Marquand will again be in the argument. It can only be a matter of time. So why not this year?

“Champion jockey has to be in the back of your mind,” said the 24-year-old, who has partnered over 100 winners in each of his last five years, including a whopping 176 turf and all-weather tally in 2021.

Last year the accent was more on quality. He rode three Group One winners and finished third in the title race, level with his wife Hollie Doyle on 91 wins having ridden more horses, and enjoyed a total of 127 victories overall.

For clarity, the Flat Jockeys’ Championship has operated on a reduced timescale since 2015 –  and spans just 24 weeks from the start of the Guineas Meeting at Newmarket to British Champions Day at Ascot.

Changing the narrative from a 32-week window at the start of the turf season, on Lincoln Handicap Day, to the end on November Handicap Day, has confused die-hard traditional ‘turfistes’.

The change was made to make it potentially enticing to top jockeys, some of whom are simply not interested in chasing low-grade winners at far-flung places at the start and end of the season.

Marquand is different. Refreshingly bereft of aloofness, he is more than happy to face an icy midwinter blast and ride 0-60-rated performers at all-weather tracks if it means he quenches his thirst for winners.

If comparisons can be such a thing, then he is Flat racing’s equivalent of Richard Johnson. Rarely in this demanding sport have there been two more likeable, humble, honest and thoroughly wonderful exponents of the art of jockeyship.

Johnson, of course, was a supremely talented jump jockey, the finest of horseman cursed to have been the contemporary of the most relentless and gifted practitioner in the sport’s history.

Marquand hopes he will not have the misfortune to be condemned to the Buick or Murphy era, as Johnson was with AP McCoy.

“Once you are riding that amount of winners per year or per season, champion jockey is something that you are always going to want to try to go down with when you are done,” added Marquand.

Champion jockey William Buick has Marquand's respect
Champion jockey William Buick has Marquand’s respect (John Walton/PA)

“So definitely champion jockey is something I’d like to do. It will be hard, but Will, to be honest, was insane last year.

“It was incredible what he did. He literally gapped us straight away.

“Before that, in the previous two years, I was in the hunt until mid-August and then they stretched away. I was always within 10 or 15 winners, but last year it was game over early.”

The odds are against it, this season at least. Sky Bet offer 14-1 for Marquand, who was champion apprentice in 2015, to take the title.

He has the utmost respect for the 1-2 favourite, however, insisting 34-year-old Buick will be tough to stop as he goes for his second crown.

“To be fair to Will, he is Godolphin’s stable jockey – he doesn’t need to do it (go everywhere and ride everything). But it is something he wants to do and he has just shown he can drop his head and run, and do everything right,” added the Classic-winning rider.

Sea La Rosa provided Marquand with one of his three top-class victories last year
Sea La Rosa provided Marquand with one of his three top-class victories last year (Steven Paston/PA)

“Take a kid like (apprentice) Billy Loughnane, who is just starting out. You just go, ‘This is William Buick. This is what he does’, and he is never going to see anything that he shouldn’t do. He sets the example.”

Marquand admits he gets on well with the Norwegian-born rider, yet treats him with a due deference accorded to senior jockeys.

“I probably didn’t have too much to do with Will until a couple of years ago when we started travelling a bit, going to Hong Kong and stuff. He is probably that generation above me a little bit. You’ve got him, James Doyle, that crowd,” said Marquand.

“There are now two rows below me already – and I’m still only 24. You have Billy as one of the youngest ones, then you have Benoit (de la Sayette) and Harry Davies just below. It moves on quick.

Wolverhampton Races – Thursday 19th January 2023
Apprentice Billy Loughnane (right) has good examples to follow (Simon Marper/PA)

“But Will has always been that bracket above. It is a generational thing, even though in racing there are many generations within the weighing room.”

Disarmingly grounded, still conveying a sheen of wonderment at his good fortune to be in high demand, while enjoying plum rides for William Haggas, Roger Varian and other top yards, Marquand is fully aware of the grind and high standards required to reach his goal. Buick sets an increasingly high bar.

“Everybody in the weighing room has tremendous respect for Will,” Marquand added.

“I am one of the first ones to want to beat him, but you just commend people for their hard work when they do it that way.”