Mullins’ hot streak keeps on Blazing

Blazing Tempo continued trainer, Willie Mullins’ hot streak when upsetting odds on favourite, Noble Prince (9/10F) to win the Grade 2 Norman’s Grove Chase at Fairyhouse on Sunday.
Champion trainer, Mullins, who has been sweeping all before him this season, has a battalion of top class horses at his disposal – the Closutton handler saddled seven winners in 48 hours last weekend – and he struck early when taking the opening three races at the Meath track.
The Norman’s Grove success was the most valuable prize (€24,500 to the winner) and 9/4 shot Blazing Tempo, who is proving a real money spinner having landed the Galway Plate at Ballybrit over the summer, is certainly holding her form well, running on powerfully in the closing stages under Ruby Walsh to beat the Paul Nolan-trained market leader by three parts of a length.
The winner now has the Ryanair Chase at Cheltenham as her long-term target.
In addition to Blazing Tempo’s success, the all-conquering Mullins/Walsh alliance joined forces to land the opening two and a half-mile maiden hurdle with 8/11 favourite, Vesper Bell. Like Blazing Tempo, this son of Beneficial races in the colours of American owner, Rich Ricci and the six-year-old had little difficulty in justifying his market position when forging clear from two out to beat Noel Meade’s 25/1 shot Griesaneau by nine lengths.
Half an hour later, Mullins’ Ceol Rua (6/4 favourite) visited the winner’s enclosure when landing the Listed mares’ hurdle.
This daughter of Bob Back looked in trouble when headed by Dot Love’s Shadow Eile halfway up the run-in, but Walsh got to work on his mount, who stuck her neck out gamely to regain the lead close home for a hard-earned half a length success.
The concluding bumper saw Mullins’ make it a four-timer as his Champagne Fever, also owned by Ricci, slaughtered his rivals under a motionless Patrick Mullins.
Sent of 1/4 favourite, Champagne Fever destroyed his eight rivals when powering home to beat runner-up Elsie by 13-lengths. The winner has been promoted to favouritism (around the 8/1 mark) for the Champion Bumper at Cheltenham and that is where the grey son of Stowaway is likely to head for next.
On Saturday at Naas, Mullins’ former high-class performer, Mikael D’Haguenet continued his rehabilitation when landing his third race on the bounce this season under Paul Townend in the valuable Limestone Lad Hurdle.
Sent over fences last term, the 2009 Cheltenham Festival winner didn’t take to the larger obstacles at all but he seems to have regained his enthusiasm this term and the World Hurdle is his most likely Prestbury Park target.

Hurricane to hit Leopardstown

All eyes this coming weekend will be on Champion Hurdler, Hurricane Fly, who is due to make a belated seasonal appearance in the BHP Insurance Irish Champion Hurdle at Leopardstown on Sunday.
Not the easiest horse in the world to train, Hurricane Fly is a class act as he showed when taking hurdling’s Blue Riband last March and a good display by Willie Mullins’ inmate on Sunday will surely see him go off favourite for back-to-back victories at the Festival in six weeks time.
Six horses stood their ground at the preliminary stage earlier this week for Sunday’s Grade 1 €110,000 contest, with Willie Mullins responsible for two of those.
If, as expected, Hurricane Fly bids to win this race for the second year in a row, he will go off favourite to beat a small, but select field
Colm Murphy’s talented mare, Voler Le Vedette, is among that final half dozen, but her Gorey handler has indicated she may wait for the three-mile Galmoy Hurdle at Gowran Park the following week. Unbeaten in three starts this term, Voler La Vedette impressed when easily accounting for Mourad in the Woodies DIY Hurdle at Christmas but Murphy has more or less ruled her out of this weekend’s race due to what looks like being goodish ground at the Foxrock venue.
Dermot Weld’s Unaccompanied is an intended runner on Sunday. She will be on something of a fact-finding mission – having also impressed when beating A Thousand Stars in the Istabraq Festival Hurdle over the course at Christmas – as a clash with Hurricane Fly will surely determine where the Moyglare Stud-owned five-year-old stands as regards her Champion Hurdle aspirations.
Jessica Harrington’s Oscar’s Well is another interesting contender. He looked like being top-class last season, but just hasn’t set the world on fire this term. He did finish third in that Unaccompanied, A Thousand Stars race at Christmas and Harrington will be hoping for another good showing on Sunday. Hurricane Fly’s stable companion A Thousand Stars and Sabrina Harty’s outsider Kalann complete the line-up.
The decision by the Leopardstown executive to merge their Boylesports Hurdle/Irish Champion Hurdle days into a two-day fixture has to be applauded with two cracking cards set to entertain big crowds at the popular South Dublin track.
Sunday also sees the Grade 1 Frank Ward Solicitors Irish Arkle taking place with the likes of Blacstairsmountain set to put the finishing touches to his Cheltenham Festival preparations in this two-mile, one-furlong event. He looked good when landing The Racing Post Novice Chase here on St Stephen’s day with David Pipe’s English raider Notus De La Tour and recent Naas winner Flemenstar suggested as his most potent rivals.
Saturday’s Boylepsports.com Hurdle is, not surprisingly for a €100,000 handicap, a highly competitive affair with Charles Byrnes’ Scottish Boogie currently heading the ante-post market at 6/1. This five-year-old was noted make good late progress when third to Cass Bligh over course and distance at Christmas and, given Byrnes’ record in these big handicaps, Scottish Boogie will be the choice of many punters.

Sommersby puts Knight back in the limelight

Henrietta Knight and her husband, Terry Biddlecombe, were household names a few years back due to the exploits of ex-pointer Best Mate, who famously carried the Aston Villa colours of owner, Jim Lewis to victory in three successive (2002/04) Cheltenham Gold Cups.
Those were the heady days for the Wantage trainer when Jim Culloty’s mount was front page news in the world of jump racing, but things have not been so hectic for Knight of late, that was until 9/2 shot Somersby propelled the former school teacher back in the limelight when running out a good winner of the Victor Chandler Chase at Ascot last Saturday.
Like Best Mate, Sommersby made his way to Knight’s stable via the expert eye of the late Newmarket-on-Fergus maestro, Tom Costello and the son of Second Empire showed he is a high class horse when running on strongly up the Ascot straight to beat Finian’s Rainbow.
Narrowly defeated by Master Minded in this two-miler last year, Sommersby was fancied by his connections to go one place better this time round and, having jumped and travelled well throughout the race, he came to tackle Finian’s Rainbow approaching the final fence.
Once safely over, the eight-year-old really knuckled down to work as he powered home to beat Barry Geraghty’s mount by a length and a quarter.
Ruby Walsh’s mount, Al Ferof, ran a blinder for a novice a further three and three-quarter lengths back in third, which should leave last season’s Supreme Novices’ Hurdle winner spot-on for the Arkle Chase back at Cheltenham.
It was a great occasion for Knight as she was joined in the winner’s enclosure by her husband, Terry Biddlecombe who is, thankfully, making a great recovery having recently suffered a stroke. Somersby is now more than likely to head for the Ryanair Chase over two miles and five furlongs at Cheltenham, for which he is quoted 6/1 joint-favourite.