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Leopardstown round-up: El Fabiolo dominates Dublin Chase

Updated / Sunday, 4 Feb 2024 17:32
El Fabiolo and Paul Townend on their way to winning Ladbrokes Dublin Chase at Leopardstown
El Fabiolo and Paul Townend on their way to winning Ladbrokes Dublin Chase at Leopardstown

El Fabiolo continued his relentless march towards next month's Queen Mother Champion Chase with a dominant display in the Ladbrokes Dublin Chase at Leopardstown.

Winner of the Irish Arkle at this meeting last year before following up in the Arkle at Cheltenham, the seven-year-old had stretched his unbeaten record over fences to six when making a successful start to the current campaign in the Hilly Way at Cork.

With the weather denying him an intended trip to Britain for the Clarence House Chase at Ascot last month, El Fabiolo was rerouted to the Dublin Racing Festival for his final outing before his return to the Cotswolds and ultimately got the job done without too much fuss.

Having tracked his stablemate and last year’s winner Gentleman De Mee for most of the two-mile-one-furlong journey, El Fabiolo (4-11 favourite) took over with a big leap two fences from home and was in in full command thereafter, only having to be pushed out by Paul Townend to score by eight and a half lengths from another Willie Mullins-trained runner in Dinoblue.

Both Coral and Paddy Power make El Fabiolo the 4-9 market leader to provide Mullins with a third successive victory in the Champion Chase at the Cheltenham Festival following the back-to-back wins of the currently sidelined Energumene.

Earlier, Fact To File came home in splendid isolation after his stablemate and only rival Gaelic Warrior departed at the final fence when already well beaten in Ladbrokes Novice Chase at Leopardstown.

An initial field of five was reduced to a Grade One match between two Mullins-trained runners, with the champion trainer withdrawing Grangeclare West and Gordon Elliott taking out Saturday's Irish Arkle runner-up Found A Fifty together with his stablemate American Mike.

The two-mile-five-furlong contest was predictably a tactical affair, with Paul Townend allowing 4-7 favourite Gaelic Warrior to stride on in front for much of the way while Mark Walsh was content to sit on his tail aboard 6-4 shot Fact To File.

The latter first joined issue early in the back straight before Gaelic Warrior went clear once more, but it was apparent on the approach to three out that Fact To File was going the better of the pair and he soon took over and asserted before the home turn.

The race was already over as a contest when a weary Gaelic Warrior made a bad mistake and unseated his rider at the final obstacle, allowing Fact To File to coast to what would have been an empathic victory in any case.

Paddy Power make Fact To File their 2-1 favourite from 4-1 for the Turners Novices’ Chase at next month’s Cheltenham Festival, while he is 3-1 with Coral for the longer Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase.

Mullins said of the JP McManus-owned winner, who was the runner-up in last year’s Champion Bumper at Cheltenham: "He’s always shown me he’s good. From the first day he came into the yard he was one that I marked down as 'he could be anything’. He’s doing everything right.

"The race fell apart and I don’t know what happened Gaelic Warrior. I didn’t get a chance to talk to Paul yet.

"He’s so laid-back in the stable and so laid-back in a race. He does everything Mark asks him to do and you could run him over two and a half miles or a Gold Cup trip. He’s got the temperament to go with it, too, which is what you want in those three-mile chasers, he’s a very calm horse.

"I’ll have a word with JP and Frank (Berry) and see what they want to do."

Walsh added: "Going to the fourth-last I moved up to Paul with a good jump, kept him on the inside and he went by him easy.

"The plan was to put the pressure on three out, but I did it a fence early, it still worked.

"He put it to bed fairly quickly, he’s a fair horse."

Mark Walsh and Fact to File jump the final fence on their way to Novice Chase victory

Mullins saw further success as Ballyburn further enhanced his burgeoning reputation with an emphatic victory in the Tattersalls Ireland 50th Derby Sale Novice Hurdle at Leopardstown.

A dual bumper winner but beaten by Firefox on his hurdling debut at Fairyhouse, the six-year-old put that right with a 25-length demolition job at Leopardstown over Christmas.

The son of Flemensfirth was the 10-11 favourite to successfully step up to Grade One level at the Dublin Racing Festival, and the drop in distance from two-and-a-half to two miles proved to be no problem whatsoever.

Paul Townend positioned Ballyburn close to the pace from flag-fall and having travelled well into the home straight, he readily kicked clear as he raced by the omitted final flight and passed the post with seven lengths in hand over Slade Steel.

Mullins said: "It was a great performance, I'm absolutely delighted. He met hurdle after hurdle right and was in control the whole way. Paul was very happy with how he did things.

"He did everything right over the minimum trip, which is good.

"He has a very low head carriage which is usually a good sign in a horse, I like it, but it’s not nice for the jockeys at times."

Ballyburn heads ante-post lists for both the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle and the Baring Bingham Novices’ Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival, with Mullins in no rush to commit to either race at this stage.

He added: "I’m going to talk about today and leave it at that."

Fleur Au Fusil put the seal on a momentous weekend for Mullins with victory in the Coolmore N.H. Sires "Hurricane Lane" Irish EBF Mares I.N.H. Flat Race that brought the Dublin Racing Festival to a close.

Having already landed all eight Grade Ones over the course of the two days at Leopardstown, the champion trainer made it nine winners overall in the Grade Two finale.

Mullins was triple-handed, with his son Patrick siding three-time winner Aurora Vega, the 5-6 favourite, and nephew Charlie aboard impressive Thurles scorer Femme Magnifique.

That left Jody Townend to keep the ride on Fleur Fusil (10-1), and having guided the six-year-old to a debut success at Naas in November the partnership struck gold again with a two-and-a-half-length verdict from Switch From Diesel. Aurora Vega had to make do with minor honours in fourth.

"Jody was excellent on the mare, the mare was good and Jody gets on very well with her. It was an excellent performance," said Mullins.

"It's not the instructions you would give to anyone, to jump off and run away at halfway and still win!

"I haven’t a clue whether we’ll go to Cheltenham or Aintree, this is her Gold Cup for the moment."

Stuart Crawford’s 20-1 shot Brucio came home best of all to land the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Paddy Mullins Mares Handicap Hurdle.

Following a Grade One treble on Saturday, Danny Mullins looked set to add to his tally after going clear aboard Minx Tiara, but the petrol gauge began to empty on the run-in and it was recent Catterick scorer Brucio who ran her down before kicking six lengths clear under J J Slevin.

"J J had her in a great position and she jumped very well for a lightly raced mare. There were a couple of hares in front and luckily they have just gone a bit too hard. She’s won well in the end," said Crawford.

"She’s been steadily improving and won in Catterick the last day, which was a good piece of race selection by Anthony (Bromley).

"We were in a different ball game today, but it has given her a bit of confidence. She has a wee touch of class about her, and it couldn’t have gone any better on the day.

"We have plenty of options now and we could think about the mares’ novice in Cheltenham or a good handicap somewhere."

Henry de Bromhead and Rachael Blackmore successfully combined in the O’Driscolls Irish Whiskey Leopardstown Handicap Chase, with Heart Wood (6-1) stretching 16 lengths clear of his rivals.

De Bromhead said: "He had a couple of nice runs in beginners chases and in all fairness it seemed a reasonable mark.

"We said we’d aim for here today and we’re delighted to win this. We’ll see what the handicapper thinks and then sit down and decide where we go."

The Harry Rogers-trained Lord Erskine was a shock 40-1 winner of the Timeless Sash Windows Handicap Hurdle, with Darragh O’Keeffe delivering his mount with a late charge to beat Magical Zoe and Zenta by three and a half lengths and a nose respectively.

"Darragh knows him well and was very good on him. I was a bit worried about the ground but Darragh said it was no problem," said an emotional Rogers.

"I could never get him into a good race with a light weight and it was the same on the Flat. He’d a proper weight on his back today and there was a good gallop which suited him.

"His (late) owner Jerry Nolan was a pure gentleman. I rode winners for him and having an owner like him, you couldn’t buy them. He was easy to train for."

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Accreditation: PA

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