Mullins family keep Irish flag flying at Cheltenham *

Tuesday

Connections celebrate Quevega's fourth mares' hurdle victory image:breakingnews.ie

The first day of the festival was supposed to be the coronation of hurdling’s undisputed king. Hurricane Fly, the defending champion, was returning to Cheltenham to take on Binocular, the only horse many saw as having genuine pretensions to his throne. He did banish any pretensions the 2010 champion had of regaining his crown by finishing ahead of him but there was a surprise winner of the Champion Hurdle as Rock on Ruby and Noel Fehil stormed up the hill to victory and deny the brave and determined Overturn in second. It was a thrilling finish to the first championship race but not the result everyone had been expecting. The defending champion could only manage third and the sense of anti climax was palpable. His disappointed trainer offered no excuses and hopefully Hurricane Fly will be back to his best for Punchestown.

Instead Quevega was crowned the queen of Cheltenham. It had been a difficult afternoon for the Mullins team. They had come to Prestbury Park with high hopes for their star but suffered crushing disappointment when he failed to retain his title. Sadly worse was to follow for them in the Glenfarclas Cross Country Chase. Stable stalwart Scotsirish had been relishing the switch to banks races this season and was sent off favourite to land the spoils in a race the Irish have dominated since its inception. Sadly, he lost his life on his way round the course along with Garde Champetre, another old warrior and legend of the cross country game. The race turned up its first ever English trained winner. A despondent air of gloom settled around the Irish. Five races in, good things and certainties beaten and not a single Irish winner. It wasn’t meant to be like this and people were getting anxious.

They need not have worried. Quevega came along to rescue the Irish on the opening day. Willie Mullins’s mare was bidding for her fourth Grade 2 OLBG Mares’ Hurdle in a row and remarkably this was the third year she was making her seasonal reappearance in the race. This time the race wasn’t run to suit her but it made no difference to this amazing mare. Settled in mid division by Ruby Walsh in a slowly run race, she steadily made ground running down the hill. For one moment it seemed like the gap she needed wouldn’t come but for once on this opening day, the Mullins team got the breaks they needed. She accelerated through the gap and a fine jump at the last hurdle settled the issue. Quevega galloped up the hill away from her rivals for an incredible fourth triumph in the race. Her return to the winners’ enclosure was greeted with a mixture of joy and relief by an ecstatic Irish crowd. It was a fantastic victory by the mare and a wonderful training performance by Willie Mullins to keep bringing her back year after year without a prep run for this race and ready to perform to her best.

Quevega now heads for the Grade One Ladbrokes’ World Series Hurdle at Punchestown next month where she will be going for a hat trick of victories and will be taken on by Voler la Vedette.

Locally trained horses were mainly out of luck on day one. Jessica Harrington’s Steps to Freedom and Dermot Welds’ Galileo’s Choice had been near the head of the market for the opening Supreme Novices’ Hurdle but both finished disappointingly down the field. It was left to the Dessie Hughes trained White Star Line to do best of the Kildare horses after Quevega when he chased home handicap marvel Hunt Ball in the day’s closing race, the Pulteney Land investments’ Novices’ Handicap Chase.

Wednesday

Patrick Mullins and Champagne Fever save the best for last image: getty images

And so on to the second day of the meeting. The marvelous thing about Cheltenham is that no matter what has happened the day before, the dawn always brings a renewed sense of optimism and hope for what’s to come. There was no local banker today but in the amateur race Mullins’ had Allee Garde and Soll who were both fancied to run big races. Unfortunately Allee Garde and Patrick Mullins fell early on in the race and brought down Soll and Katie Walsh. The early optimism started to dissipate and it was beginning to look like one of those days.

In the Neptune Investments’ Novice Hurdle the Irish had some good challengers but in the end they all had to play second fiddle to Simonsig and Barry Geraghty who were imperious. Paul Townend and Felix Yonger were best of the Irish in second for Willie Mullins but seven lengths behind Nicky Henderson’s brilliant grey.

We had to wait until the very last race of the day to get our first winner of the afternoon and only our second winner of the entire meeting. The bumper has become synonymous with Willie Mullins and he had trained six winners of the race prior to last week. This time the punters didn’t have the same confidence in his pair of runners and made the John Ferguson trained New Year’s Eve the favourite. Barry Geraghty enjoyed one of the best days of his career at Cheltenham last Wednesday, winning three Grade One races and he was looking to make it four in the bumper.

Patrick Mullins, on board Champagne Fever, set off in front to use the horses’ high cruising speed and long stride to his advantage. Rounding the final bend he looked to be in danger from Geraghty and Ruby Walsh, riding Mullins’ other horse, Pique Sous. Champagne Fever kept finding more for his jockey to deny Geraghty his four timer, with Pique Sous in third. It was a wonderful way to end the day after what had been an emotional rollercoaster but a very difficult twenty four hours for the team.

Thursday

Sir Des Champs and Davy Russell clear the last image: independent.ie

In racing a performance that brings joy in the present can also give a sense of hope and anticipation for even better days ahead and more glory to come in the future. The Willie Mullins trained Sir Des Champs did exactly that in Thursday. In the opening Jewson Novices’ Chase Sir Des Champs got the afternoon off to a flying start. His performance had everyone imagining the glory days ahead and the big dark bay horse taking his chance in next year’s Gold Cup. It was a victory to savour for the moment as well. Sir Des Champs was running over the furthest trip he had ever attempted but travelled smoothly throughout the race. His jumping was foot perfect and he did everything he was asked to by Davy Russell. He joined long time leader Champion Court on the run to the second last. Russell didn’t ask the horse to go for it until they had cleared the final fence and his response was immediate. He powered impressively up the hill to go away from his rival and the impression he made on everyone watching, at the course and at home, was of a talented horse with gold in his future.

Unfortunately it could only go one way from there for the local horses and that was downhill. Big Bucks’ wrote himself into the history books with an astounding performance in the Ladbroke’s World Hurdle. The beautiful horse secured his fourth victory in a row in the Grade One for staying hurdlers. His closest pursuer was the Colm Murphy trained Voler la Vedette who ran a super race under a fantastic ride from jockey Andrew Lynch to finish best of the rest in second for her Gorey trainer. Thousand Stars was best of the local horses back in fourth.

Friday

Victorious Alderwood and AP McCoy in the winners' enclosure image: independent.ie

And so on to Gold Cup day, racing’s blue riband and for many the jewel in Cheltenham’s crown. First off was the small matter of one of the irish bankers for the week, Boston Bob. The Willie Mullins trained gelding created quite an impression when winning a Grade One at Navan and then defying a penalty and tough conditions at Leopardstown on his next start. Once his Cheltenham assignment became clear last week he was backed into favouritism for the Grade One Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle.  Boston Bob and Ruby Walsh took a while to get going and failed to peg back Brindisi Breeze on the run to the line. Another Irish banker vanquished at the festival.

The only locally trained representatives in the Gold Cup were the Willie Mullins pair of Quel Esprit and The Midnight Club. Quel Esprit, who won the Henessy Gold Cup at Leopardstown last month, was Ireland’s leading contender for the race and looked to have place claims at least. Our chances in the big one were dealt a hammer blow during the morning with the news that Quel Esprit would not run in the Gold Cup. He was lame so stablemate The Midnight Club was the sole local horse in the race. The Gold Cup was an emotional and Irish victory. Synchronised maybe trained in Jackdaw’s Castle, near Cheltenham but the little horse with the big white face and heart of a lion was bred in Ireland by his owner, the legendary JP McManus and trained by Gold Cup winning Irish jockey Jonjo O’Neill and ridden by the sixteen times champion jockey from Antrim AP McCoy.

It was a special day for JP McManus, who won his first Gold Cup and a special day for Carlow trainer Tom Mullins who added to his family’s illustrious Cheltenham story by training the winner of the County Hurdle, Alderwood for the Gold Cup winning owner and jockey. It was McCoy’s first winner of the meeting and rounding the home turn it looked like he would do well to get close having met with interference but the champion jockey regrouped Alderwood and delivered him with a challenge at the last flight and he powered up the hill to the delight of his trainer to add another Mullins name to the Cheltenham roll of honour.

*This article first appeared in The Nationalist on 20 March 2012