Willie Mullins-trained runners won around half of the total prize money on offer at the Dublin Racing Festival over the weekend.
Over €2million was up for grabs at the Leopardstown meeting across Saturday and Sunday, with Mullins' runners landing €1,064,500 for their connections.
The Carlow handler enjoyed another weekend of dominance as he won six of the eight Grade Ones on offer at the Dublin venue, as well as a handicap hurdle and the concluding bumper on Sunday. His number one rider Paul Townend rode three of those winners, with Danny Mullins riding the same amount to victory, while Daryl Jacob and the trainer's son Patrick rode one winner each.
Mullins ran 45 horses in total over the two days and incredibly still won the Grade One Donohue Marquees Spring Juvenile Hurdle, Goffs Irish Arkle, Tattersalls Ireland Novice Hurdle and Ladbrokes Dublin Steeplechase despite having favourites beaten in all four of those contests, three of which were odds-on.
Gala Marceau (9/2) defeated Lossiemouth (1/3 f) in the Juvenile Hurdle before El Fabiolo (9/2) romped home to land the Irish Arkle by ten lengths under Daryl Jacob, with 11/8 favourite Appreciate It beaten for second by the Joseph O'Brien-trained Banbridge in the home straight.
Two even bigger surprises came on Sunday as Blue Lord (1/4 f) came home seven lengths behind Gentleman De Mee (15/2) prior to the at the time odds-on Supreme Novice Hurdle ante-post favourite Facile Vega, who was 4/9 for the Leopardstown race, managing to finish only fifth in the novice hurdle which was won Il Etait Temps, with other stablemate Dark Raven finishing third.
Mullins also had the 1-2 in the Paddy Power Irish Gold Cup as Galopin Des Champs (3/10 f) defeated Stattler (11/2) by eight lengths and landed the Chanelle Pharma Irish Champion Hurdle with State Man (6/5 f) 24 hours later.
Gaelic Warrior also impressed in winning the Festina Lente Charity Liffey Handicap Hurdle off top weight, while Patrick Mullins got his winner for the weekend onboard Fun Fun Fun in the Coolmore N.H. Sires 'Santiago' Irish EBF Mares I.N.H. Flat Race after finishing second on both Stattler and Fact To File on Saturday.
Following the DRF, all roads now lead to the Cheltenham Festival, which kicks off on March 14 - exactly five weeks from today.
Four horses that won at last year's DRF were also successful in the Cotswolds the following month. That figure was five in 2021.
Paddy Power are offering odds of evens for four or more Dublin Racing Festival winners to be victorious at the 2023 Cheltenham Festival, 7/2 for five or more and 10/1 for six or more, the last of which looks a big ask.
Plenty has been said about the Novice Hurdle won by Il Etait Temps on Sunday and the speed they went in it, with Mullins critical of Paul Townend's ride on Facile Vega.
It wouldn't be surprising to see last year's Champion Bumper winner return to winning ways in the Supreme, but the last two winners of Sunday's two-mile race have went on to win at Cheltenham, with Sir Gerhard winning the Ballymore last year after Appreciate It's Supreme win 12 months earlier.
There was a lot to like about Il Etait Temps' margin of victory and he's available at odds of 5/1 for the Supreme and a massive 20/1 for the Ballymore.
If his jumping doesn't let him down, which it has before, he has to be a serious player for whichever of those races he rocks up in.
The last two winners of the Juvenile Hurdle (Vauban and Quilixios) have also gone on to further success at Cheltenham and Gala Marceau will be aiming to continue that trend this year. He is 4/1 generally for the Triumph, with Lossiemouth still the favourite ahead of their other stablemate Blood Destiny.
But the horse to take from the race for me was Tekao, who is available at 6/1 for the Boodles, after finishing third on Saturday. He has a higher rating to contend with after that run but could still take all the beating in the penultimate race on day one of Cheltenham.
Only two winners of the Nathaniel Lacy & Partners Solicitors Novice Hurdle have gone on to win at Cheltenham in the same year since the race was first run in 1999. Those were Nicanor, who also won the 2006 Royal & SunAlliance Novices' Hurdle as it was called then, and Let's Dance, who went on to land the Mares' Hurdle in 2017.
But Good Land looks to have a very good chance of landing the Ballymore as there he was impressive in Saturday's opener, but he will face much tougher opposition next month.
El Fabiolo was another winner who impressed over the weekend, but he will also have Jonbon to contend with at Cheltenham in what should be a fascinating clash, with preference just for the latter of the two.
Mullins has completed the Irish/ English Arkle double with Un De Sceaux, Douvan and Footpad, but no horse has done it since Footpad in 2018.
The wait for an Irish/Gold Cup double has been a year longer, with Sizing John the last to do it back in 2017, but he was the first horse to do so since Imperial Call in 1996.
However, Galopin Des Champs looks like he will be very hard to beat in the Blue Riband of jump-racing, although his odds reflect that and are quite short as a result.
Facile Vega won the bumper on day one of the DRF last year on his way to the Champion Bumper at Cheltenham and it would be one of the stories of the week if A Dream To Share did the same this time around.
The five-year-old stayed on well to beat Fact To File convincingly for young jockey John Gleeson, the son of the horse's owner/breeder and RTE broadcaster John Gleeson, and 85-year-old trainer John Kiely.
While plenty of people head to Cheltenham sharing dreams, few will have as good a one as this and it would be an absolute fairytale if the Waterford natives could pull it off.
Meanwhile, Mighty Potter is tough to oppose in the Turners after his victory in the Ladbrokes Novice Chase, and although State Man comfortably saw off Honeysuckle in the Chanelle Pharma Irish Champion Hurdle, the best he can hope for at Cheltenham is probably to come second Constitution Hill.
Gentleman De Mee stunned stablemate Blue Lord in the Ladbrokes Dublin Chase, but Edwardstone looks like the one they all have to beat in the Champion Chase.
It was confirmed this morning that Honeysuckle will run one last time in the Mares' Hurdle and although it is not the race anyone wanted to see her in at the start of the season, there wouldn't be a much bigger cheer at Prestbury Park all week if she was to come home in front.
Willie Mullins Dublin Racing Festival runners and prize money
Saturday:
1.20pm: The Nathaniel Lacy & Partners Solicitors `€50,000 Cheltenham Bonus For Stable Staff` Novice Hurdle (Grade 1)
Grangeclare West 6th (€3,000) and Quais De Paris 7th (€0)
1.55pm: The Donohue Marquees Spring Juvenile Hurdle (Grade 1)
Gala Marceau 1st (€90,000), Lossiemouth 2nd (€30,000), Tekao 3rd (€15,000), Gust Of Wind 5th (€4,500), Cinsa 6th (€3,000) and Jourdefete 8th (€0),
2.30pm: The Goffs Irish Arkle Novice Steeplechase (Grade 1)
El Fabiolo 1st (€90,000), Appreciate It 3rd (€15,000), Dysart Dynamo 4th (€7,500) Flame Bearer 7th (€0) and Saint Roi unseated rider (€0).
3.05pm: The Paddy Power Irish Gold Cup (Grade 1)
Galopin Des Champs 1st (€142,500), Stattler 2nd (€50,000), Franco De Port 5th (€7,500), Kemboy 6th (€5,000)
3.40pm: The Race And Stay At Leopardstown Handicap Hurdle (Grade B)
Belle Metal 14th (€0) and Blue Sari pulled up (€0)
4.10pm: The Paddy Power Cheltenham Fanzone Handicap Steeplechase (Grade B)
No Willie Mullins runners
4.40pm: The Shabra Charity Oliver Brady Memorial Future Stars (C & G) I.N.H. Flat Race (Grade 2)
Fact To File 2nd (€20,000), Chosen Witness 5th (€3,000), Largy Hill 7th (€0), Special Cadeau 8th (€0)
Sunday:
1.10pm: The Irish Stallion Farms EBF Paddy Mullins Mares Handicap Hurdle (Grade B)
Historique Reconce 2nd (€20,000), Braganza 14th (€0), Risk Belle fell (€0)
1.40pm: The Ladbrokes Novice Steeplechase (Grade 1)
Adamantly Chosen 2nd (€30,000), Gaillard Du Mesnil 3rd (€15,000), I Am Maximus 4th (€7,500), Kicruit 5th (€4,500) and James Du Berlais 6th (€3,000)
2.10pm: The Ladbrokes Dublin Steeplechase (Grade 1)
Gentleman De Mee 1st (€90,000) and Blue Lord 2nd (€30,000)
2.40pm: The Bulmers Leopardstown Handicap Steeplechase (Grade A)
Ciel DeNeige 7th (€0), Egality Mans fell (€0) and Rambranlt'jac fell (€0)
3.10pm: The Chanelle Pharma Irish Champion Hurdle (Grade 1)
State Man 1st (€114,000) and Vauban 3rd (€20,000).
3.40pm: The Tattersalls Ireland Novice Hurdle (Grade 1)
Il Etait Temps 1st (€90,000), Dark Raven 3rd (€15,000) and Facile Vega 5th (€4,500)
4.10pm: The Festina Lente Charity Liffey Handicap Hurdle (Grade B)
Gaelic Warrior 1st (€90,000) and Tax For Max 6th (€3,000)
4.40pm: The Coolmore N.H. Sires `Santiago` Irish EBF Mares I.N.H. Flat Race (Grade 2)
Fun Fun Fun 1st (€60,000) and Fancy Girl 4th (€5,000).
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