Tag Archive for: Gaelic Warrior

Gaelic Warrior has ‘serious engine’ and exciting ambitions at Cheltenham

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Gaelic Warrior has big-race Cheltenham ambitions after running out a comfortable victor of the Festina Lente Charity Liffey Handicap Hurdle at Leopardstown.

The five-year-old – narrowly beaten when heavily-backed at the Festival in March – was the 10-11 favourite after facile successes in both hurdle starts this season, winning two contests by a combined 101 lengths.

Under Paul Townend the Rich Ricci-owned gelding was never any further back than the front group and when asked to quicken when turning for home he galloped clear to prevail under top-weight by three and three-quarter lengths.

“He has a bit of class and he proved it there, to do that in a competitive handicap was very good,” said trainer Willie Mullins.

“Paul tried to get a nice position on the inside and then find a bit of room after the second-last. The horse had plenty in reserve.

Gaelic Warrior clears the last
Gaelic Warrior clears the last (Lorraine O’Sullivan/PA)

“We always thought he had a serious engine and he’s progressing all the time.

“He’s in the Supreme and Ballymore, I’ll have a good chat with Paul later on and see what direction we go with him.

“We’ll see what the fallout of this weekend is and see what we have for different races.

“He looked like a horse that’s still maturing and improving. He looked like a horse that could be a really nice novice chaser as well.

“We’ll see how he finishes out the season, obviously there is Cheltenham and Punchestown to come yet.”

Gordon Elliott’s The Goffer pocketed a valuable prize when winning the Bulmers Leopardstown Handicap Chase.

He was sent off a 10-1 chance in the hands of Davy Russell, who was chasing a double on the card after earlier Grade One success aboard Mighty Potter.

In a large field of 23 The Goffer was allowed to bide his time in mid division, picking his way through rivals around the final bend and over the last fence.

From there he battled into the lead, passing Paul Gilligan’s Glamorgan Duke to cross the line two lengths ahead.

The Goffer (right) alongside third-placed Top Ville Ben
The Goffer (right) alongside third-placed Top Ville Ben (Lorraine O’Sullivan/PA)

“We thought he had a chance on the drying ground,” said Elliott.

“He probably wants a bit further but he jumped great and galloped the whole way to the line, we’re very happy.

“Davy was great on him. I told him to go out and take every chance, don’t leave the paint. In those big handicaps that’s what you have to do.

“We’ll look at all those long-distance races and he could be an Irish National horse.”

Liz Doyle’s Ballybawn Belter returned to Leopardstown to take the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Paddy Mullins Mares Handicap Hurdle.

A bumper winner at the Dublin track last year, the mare has taken a little while to get the hang of hurdling but hit her stride with a convincing two-length success under Simon Torrens at a price of 16-1.

“I’m very pleased. She won her bumper here in similar fashion,” said Doyle.

“It was probably about two furlongs too short for her, but I thought the good gallop would help us.

“She jumps very well now. When she started she was very awkward over her hurdles on her first couple of runs. She was very slow, a bit right and left. It came together on her last couple of runs.

“She pinged the last and I’m thrilled.”

In the Grade Two Coolmore N.H. Sires “Santiago” Irish EBF Mares I.N.H. Flat Race it was Willie and Patrick Mullins who combined to win with Fun Fun Fun.

Fun Fun Fun and Patrick Mullins
Fun Fun Fun and Patrick Mullins (Lorraine O’Sullivan/PA)

As the 9-4 favourite, the five-year-old built on a 10-length maiden victory at Sligo to land the Group Two by nearly the same distance when coming home nine and a half lengths to the good.

“It was a very impressive performance because she had a break since her last run and I didn’t think she had enough done,” said the trainer.

“She looked like she had blown up coming out of the back stretch and she looked in trouble about three furlongs out.

“Patrick said when he pulled her to the outside she got her second wind and she just took off. She looks to be a serious mare.

“She’s entitled to go anywhere she wants now. Do you go to Cheltenham or to the mares’ bumper in Aintree?

“She’s well entitled to go wherever connections decide and I’d dare say Patrick will probably have a fair say in that along with Simon and Isaac (Munir and Souede, owners).”

All very straightforward for Gaelic Warrior at Clonmel

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Gaelic Warrior set himself up for a potential crack at the Betfair Hurdle with an effortless win at Clonmel.

Given he was sent off the hugely prohibitive 1-14 favourite in the Munster Hurdle on a card transferred after being cancelled last week, he was only doing what was expected of him.

But having won by over 80 lengths on what was his Irish debut at Tramore in December, the Boodles Hurdle runner-up once again showed he possesses a big engine.

Bounced into an early advantage by Paul Townend, he never saw another rival and while stablemate Blue Sari made grounds to claim second, he was still 15 lengths in arrears.

He did jump out to his right on occasions, just as he did when beaten at Cheltenham, but he was so far clear it was an irrelevance.

The sponsors trimmed the Rich Ricci-owned winner into 3-1 from 11-2 for the Betfair Hurdle at Newbury as a result, a race for which he picked up a 5lb penalty.

As Gaelic Warrior is also still a novice, Coral cut him to 6-1 from 7s for the Ballymore at Cheltenham in March.

Townend said: “He was entitled to do it. We didn’t learn any more about him, but got more experience into him. He is a lovely horse.

“It is very hard work out there and he is hard enough on himself too but took breathers – the ground is proper testing.”

Regarding his tendency to jump right, he added: “I was trying to keep out to the outside (on better ground) but all the room was to the right, which was always going to happen.

“He does prefer to go right to correct himself but when he is racing and going about it, he straightens up. Hopefully he can make up for the disappointment at Cheltenham last year.”

Paul Townend with Night And Day
Paul Townend with Night And Day (Thomas Weekes/PA)

Mullins and Townend had already struck earlier on the card with another impressive odds-on winner Night And Day (2-5 favourite) in the Kilsheelan Mares Maiden Hurdle.

She is an 8-1 chance for the Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle in March.

“She was doing nice work last year and was thrown in very deep (in a Fairyhouse Grade One) and she has a future, that’s for sure,” said Townend.

“The hurdles are nearly too small for her, with the size of her and she will even improve for a fence but has a future over hurdles first.”

Clonmel meeting on Thursday rescheduled to Tuesday

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Clonmel’s meeting on Thursday has been cancelled due to a waterlogged track and rearranged for Tuesday.

An inspection had been called for 7.30am on race day, however following further heavy rain on Wednesday an early decision was taken at 4pm.

The meeting – due to feature the exciting Gaelic Warrior – will now take place on January 17 with entries reopened until noon on January 12.

“Following 14mm of rain since our update this morning, Clonmel is now unfit for racing due to the track being waterlogged,” said clerk of the course Lorcan Wyer.

“There is a further 10mm of rain forecast between now and race time tomorrow.

“We have had more rain than we expected at this stage and with such an unfavourable forecast, we felt it was prudent to cancel the fixture at this point rather than wait until the time of the planned inspection with no real hope of prospects improving.”

Heavily backed for the Boodles Juvenile Handicap Hurdle at Cheltenham in March, Gaelic Warrior just missed out on what was his debut for Willie Mullins but returned at Tramore last month where he finished miles clear at long odds on.