Neil Mulholland’s Willmount will be saved for next season after a highly promising bumper campaign.
The five-year-old, who was a costly purchase at £340,000, won an Irish point-to-point as a four-year-old before changing hands and stables.
On his bumper debut and his first start for Mulholland at Doncaster in January he cruised home to win by 13 lengths, beating Nicky Richards’ subsequent winner Luckie Seven.
At the same track in March he was a winner again, taking another National Hunt Flat contest with a four-and-a-half-length victory when carrying 22lb more than the runner-up.
Cheltenham was never a target for the gelding and Aintree was only loosely mentioned, but connections have agreed that his season has come to a close and he will return for a novice hurdling campaign next term.
“We’ll just keep him for novice hurdles next year, I spoke to the owner last night and he’s not going to go to Aintree,” Mulholland said.
“He’s won his two bumpers, we’re very happy with what he’s done. We’ll put him away for next year and away we go.
“He can’t do any more, he won his bumper first time out by 13 lengths. The horse that finished second has come out and won a bumper since.
“We won his second bumper giving 22lb away to the second horse. Two runs, two wins – he’s done what we wanted.
“He’s a very nice horse, an exciting horse for the future, and we’re looking after him.”
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Neil Mulholland is in no hurry to make firm plans for Willmount, who remained unbeaten when cruising to success in a bumper at Doncaster on Saturday.
The five-year-old, who cost £340,000 at Tattersalls Cheltenham February Sale last year, was a two-and-a-half-length winner of his four-year-old maiden point and duly won his first bumper in January by 13 lengths under Jamie Moore.
Willmount followed up on his second start for Mulholland with a convincing four-and-a-half-length win in the Virgin Bet Open National Hunt Flat Race, this time partnered by Sam Twiston-Davies.
Mulholland was suitably impressed and said: “We’ll see what happens. He had 22lb more than the runner-up (Broomhill Road) and they didn’t go that quick.
“He hit him once before the wings of the last and he went from one length clear to four and a half lengths clear in the space of half a furlong.
“I thought it was a good run, giving 22lb away to a horse who will probably win next time out.
“He only started to get going in the last half-furlong. They didn’t go that quick early on, because the ground was plenty quick enough.”
Though he does not hold an entry in the Champion Bumper at Cheltenham, he could be under consideration for Aintree’s Grand National meeting next month.
The Wiltshire-based handler is in no rush to commit Willmount at this stage, however.
“If he runs anywhere, he will run at Aintree, but obviously he’s a nice novice hurdler for next year.
“For any horse to win two bumpers is a good achievement. We know he is a nice horse and we’re happy with what we have and there is no pressure to run him.
“If there is a bit of rain around, that’s fine. But that was good ground at Doncaster.”
Mulholland is still pondering who will ride Lord Accord at next week’s Cheltenham Festival.
Though the eight-year-old holds an entry in the Fulke Walwyn Kim Muir Challenge Cup, he is expected to line up in the Ultima Handicap Chase on day one of the four-day meeting, for which he is a general 12-1 chance.
Mulholland is mulling riders for Lord Accord (Mike Egerton/PA)
Regular partner Richie McLernon is ruled out after suffering a broken leg and knee damage, sustained when Mulholland’s Crossing The Bar was brought down in a handicap hurdle at Doncaster in January.
The trainer is still sizing up options for Lord Accord, who won a Cheltenham handicap in October and was runner-up to Frodon in the Badger Beer Handicap Chase at Wincanton the following month.
He added: “We’ve booked nobody yet. I have to speak to the owners and see.
“Unfortunately, Richie McLernon is injured. I think he is hoping to be back for Aintree, but the horse is in good order and we’re very happy with him.”
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Neil Mulholland is eyeing the spring festivals for his exciting bumper horse Willmount.
Bought for £340,000 following an impressive display in the pointing field at Comea in February last year, he went some way to justifying that price-tag when a commanding 13-length scorer on his rules debut at Doncaster earlier this month.
Jamie Moore was motionless aboard the Ollie Harris-owned five-year-old during the closing stages on Town Moor and Mulholland was delighted to see the son of Blue Bresil make a winning start – while also believing the team at Conkwell Lodge are only just beginning to scratch the surface of his potential.
He said: “He’s a nice horse who has come out of the race really well and we’re hoping he’ll have come on for the race as well.
“I’ll have to speak to the owner, but we’ll be looking at the likes of Cheltenham and Aintree and places like that.
“Everything of course has to be good and go well and we’re hoping he’ll be a nice novice hurdler next year. But if he keeps on improving the way he is we’ll definitely be at the likes of Cheltenham and Aintree – that’s what the owner buys these horses for, he wants to be at the big meetings.
“He’s a nice horse to get and thankfully his first run lived up to expectation. Now he has to obviously step up again, but we would be more than confident there is hopefully more to come. He definitely wasn’t drilled for his bumper at Doncaster.”
The decision on if Willmount will run again before the spring is yet to be finalised with a Listed bumper at Newbury on February 11 a possibility. Although Mulholland appears to be favouring heading straight to the Champion Bumper on March 15 – a race for which he is a best price of 25-1 with bet365, but as short as 14-1 in places.
“I would suspect he would go straight there,” continued Mulholland.
Willmount made a dream start under rules for Neil Mulholland with an effortless success in the Good Luck “Beep Beep Burrow” Open Maiden National Hunt Flat Race at Doncaster.
The Blue Bresil gelding won his sole point-to-point start as a four-year-old and then changed hands for £340,000 before being sent to Mulholland’s yard.
The 5-2 favourite from a field of 14, the Jamie Moore-ridden bay made light work of both the testing ground and his rivals to saunter home 13 lengths ahead without ever needing to hit top gear.
“He’s a very nice horse, whatever he did today he’ll improve from it,” Mulholland said.
“He’s only a baby but he cost a lot of money so I was a little bit harder on him, trying to get him ready first time out.
RACE 7 RESULT- Good Luck "Beep Beep Burrow" Open Maiden National Hunt Flat Race (Category 3 Elimination) (GBB Race)
“That took the edge off him, so whatever he did today he will improve from.
“He’s a long-term prospect, he won’t be going novice hurdling this year. The owner is very relaxed, he’ll just go in bumpers because he’s just a baby.
“We’d go for one of the good bumpers – I’ll have to talk to the owners, but definitely. Why not?”
Mulholland had another victory on the card with Feel Good Inc, who built on earlier promise shown to land the Betting Better With Sky Bet Maiden Hurdle under Richie McLernon.
The gelding, a five-year-old by Westerner, fell when holding every chance in his sole Irish point-to-point start and was then third on his hurdles debut at Uttoxeter in November.
Feel Good Inc and Richie McLernon (Simon Marper/PA)
The form from that race has panned out well, and at Doncaster he was a good winner at 9-1 when finishing a length and a half ahead of Nicky Henderson’s Issuing Authority – the 4-6 favourite.
“He’s a very nice horse and we’ve always liked him, hopefully he can continue on an upward curve,” Mulholland said.
“He’s a big baby but he’s a nice horse. When he was placed last time out, the horse behind him came out and won a Listed bumper and the winner has come out and won since – the form seems pretty good.”
Henderson’s Bold Endeavour claimed another chasing success when taking the Sky Bet Novices’ Limited Handicap Chase.
Thrilled to see BOLD ENDEAVOUR 🔴⚪️ follow up his recent victory for his owners Countrywide Park Homes Ltd, maintaining his 100% record for the yard with a bold front-running display @DoncasterRaces under a lovely ride from @NdeBoinville 👏pic.twitter.com/bUWP6PlcsD
He was trained to bumper and hurdle wins by Laura Morgan before being pulled up on his debut over fences and subsequently moved into the care of Henderson.
His first run for Seven Barrows came in a Leicester handicap chase in early December, where he prevailed by 10 lengths against a field of six rivals.
That performance made him the 5-6 favourite on Town Moor, and under Nico de Boinville he came home seven lengths ahead despite losing ground on occasion with his jumping.
“The ground was plenty soft enough for him,” said the jockey.
Bold Endeavour and Nico de Boinville (Simon Marper/PA)
“He’s probably also better going the other way round but I was pleased that he knuckled down the way he did.
“They’ve gone a nice, even gallop, everyone was happy with the pace behind me and it suited him to run like that.”
Rose Dobbin’s Aazza was an easy winner of the Taj’s Time To Design ‘Hands And Heels’ Handicap Hurdle under 3lb claimer Dylan Johnston.
The seven-year-old was a 7-2 shot when looking to better a second-placed effort at Newcastle last time out, a run that left her on the same mark of 90 when lining up for this latest assignment.
From a field of 19 the mare was a facile winner, taking an unchallenged lead and crossing line with barely a rival in sight to secure a 20-length victory.
Rose Dobbin’s Aazza (Simon Marper/PA)
“That was very nice, very nice indeed, she’s a lovely horse with lovely owners,” said Dobbin.
“She’s very genuine. She’s probably going up a stone for that!
“She will go back over fences in spring at Hexham, she likes Hexham and I wouldn’t run her at a big track over fences. I think we’ll stay over hurdles for the moment.”
Hidden Beauty returned to the winner’s enclosure for Fergal O’Brien when triumphing in the Betting Better With Sky Bet Novices’ Hurdle.
The six-year-old won her bumper debut at four and was well-regarded at this point in the season last year, but atrial fibrillation interrupted her progress and she was carried out when making her hurdles debut in October.
Hidden Beauty and Paddy Brennan (Simon Marper/PA)
A fourth-placed run last time was a step forward and under Paddy Brennan she was a four-and-a-half-length winner at a price of 12-1.
“She’s a very, very nice mare. She was favourite for the Listed bumper at Cheltenham last year and then she suffered from the atrial fibrillation,” said Nick Brown of owners Nick Brown Racing.
“Fergal and the team have done a fantastic job to get her confidence back, that’s what she needed. The quality has always been there, it’s just that she needed the confidence.
“She also needs better ground, when he came here we were a little worried about the ground, but it was more of a confidence builder and it’s all worked out really well.”
The Questioner made his chasing debut a winning one with a hard-fought success in the Sky Bet UKs No.1 Betting App Novices’ Handicap Chase.
The Questioner and Craig Nichol (left) (Simon Marper/PA)
Trained by Oliver Greenall and Josh Guerriero and ridden by Craig Nichol, the chestnut has been progressive in hurdle contests and was the 7-4 favourite to retain that form when tasked with jumping a fence for the first time.
Standing in his way was Charlie Longsdon’s Lyrical Genius, who battled him all the way to the line to miss out by a short head as the rest of the field came home 31 lengths or more behind.
“He was a little bit careful, but as the race went on he built up confidence and he was very good,” said Nichol.
“Once he gets out and gets his space, he’s very good. He just had a bit of a habit of lugging right and today he’s left it behind him a little bit.
“He’s battled, the second horse wasn’t going to let me be. The two of them have had a great battle.”
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