Willie Mullins is excited to see what Facile Vega can achieve over fences next season after surviving a scare to get back on the winning trail in the KPMG Champion Novice Hurdle at Punchestown.
The six-year-old had plenty live up to from day one as a son of the great racemare Quevega, who won six times at Punchestown to go with her six victories in the Mares' Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival.
Facile Vega has largely upheld family honour, winning four bumpers and his first two starts over hurdles, but lost his unbeaten record when well held at Leopardstown in February and was ultimately no match for Marine Nationale when favourite to bounce back in the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle last month.
Despite those successive defeats, the Walk In The Park gelding was unsurprisingly short odds to end his season on a high back on home soil as the 4-6 favourite – and while a mistake three flights from home would have have had his supporters sweating, Paul Townend’s mount soon came back on the bridle and coasted clear in the straight.
Facile Vega’s stablemate Il Etait Temps was seven and a half lengths adrift in second at the line, while another Mullins runner, Diverge – third in the Supreme – weakened tamely after making much of the running and finished a tailed off last of five.
Facile Vega has emerged victorious in the KPMG Champion Novice Hurdle at Punchestown
— RTÉ Racing (@RTEracing) April 25, 2023
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Mullins said: "I’ve always thought the world of him, he has huge ability and I’m looking forward to him going over fences next year.
"Paul thinks he doesn’t have much respect for hurdles and he could always do that type of thing even schooling at home. He thinks he’ll have far more respect for fences."
Emmet Mullins dealt his uncle Willie a rare reversal as Feronily (7-1) refused to bend in the Dooley Insurance Group Champion Novice Chase.
The champion trainer saddled four of the six runners in a bid to bag another top-level prize – but was ultimately beaten by his nephew and neighbour.
With Henry de Bromhead's favourite Journey With Me falling in the back straight, it was just a question of which Mullins would win before the home turn, with Feronily leading the way under a bold ride from Donagh Meyler.
Appreciate It – looking to give Paul Townend a Grade One treble on the card – emerged as the biggest threat between the final two fences, but Feronily was not for catching and stuck to his task gamely on the run-in to score by a length and three-quarters.
James Du Berlais and Classic Getaway finished third and fourth, while Sir Gerhard was pulled up.
Feronily has secured a surprise win in the Grade 1 Dooley Insurance Group Champion Novice Chase
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While Mullins is no stranger to big-race success, having most notably saddled Noble Yeats to win last year's Grand National at Aintree, Feronily was giving him and Meyler their first Grade One winner.
He said: "We bought him last November as a five-year-old and people said he was too old. We’ve run him in bumpers, hurdles and chases and he’s won a Grade One and now he’s a young horse again. It’s funny how the wheel turns sometimes.
"He’s progressing with each run and is an exciting horse to have. He’s such a good jumper and what I saw in the point-to-point field was the reason we bought him. Jumping is his forte and we weren’t going to waste time.
"I don’t know where we go from here, but he’s definitely a staying chaser."
Shecouldbeanything (7-2F) justified favouritism in the opening Howden Insurance Brokers Mares Novice Hurdle for Gordon Elliott and Jordan Gainford, ahead of The Model Kingdom and Walk With Paul.
Bialystok (14-1) led home a Willie Mullins one-two-three in the Killashee Hotel Handicap Hurdle, with Tax For Max and favourite Teako following their stablemate home.
The Mullins onslaught continued in the Goffs Defender Bumper, with Patrick Mullins steering the previously-unraced Predators Gold (4-1) to victory and Milo Lises, another Mullins-trained newcomer, filling the runner-up spot just for good measure.
Denis Murphy landed the Kildare Hunt Club Cross Country Chase for the Ladies Perpetual Cup with Three By Two (8-1), while Angelo Dundee (11-1) scored in the concluding Oak Lodge Landscapes Flat Race for Dermot McLoughlin.
Watch the Punchestown Festival from Tuesday to Friday at 4pm live on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player and on Saturday from 2.30pm on RTÉ One and RTÉ Player
