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Mark Nunan

Mark Nunan

Appreciate It completes Grade 1 double for Mullins and Townend

Sun 27th Dec 2020, 14:45

Appreciate It (green and blue) and Paul Townend jump the last in second before going on to win by nine lengthsAppreciate It (green and blue) and Paul Townend jump the last in second before going on to win by nine lengths
© Photo Healy Racing

Appreciate It (7/4 fav) was another impressive winner on the card as he took the Paddy Power Future Champions Novice Hurdle (Grade 1) by nine lengths.

The Jeremy gelding, runner-up in last season’s Cheltenham bumper and a winner on hurdles debut at Cork in November, tracked the pace-setting Fire Attack before hitting the front after jumping the last (usual second-last).

He opened up in the straight as his main market rival Ballyadam could find no more and it was Irascible (16/1) who came through for second ahead of Keskonrisk (16/1) in third.

Winning trainer Willie Mullins who, along with jockey Paul Townend was completing a Grade 1 double after Chacun Pour Soi rsquo;s earlier success, said: “He surprised me and impressed me. I was wondering if he was a two and a half miles horse or a two-mile horse. I know he can easily do it over two and a half but to come back to two miles and put in a performance like that in a Grade 1 was impressive.

“I’d say we will go down the two miles route now. He’s not flashy like Ferny Hollow but he has a great cruising speed and he covers a lot of ground which helps him to burn other horses off.

“He’ll probably have another run here at the Dublin Racing Festival.”

The winner was cut to 11/4 favourite (from 14/1) by Paddy Power and Betfair for the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle and was pushed out to 8/1 (from 6/1) with the same firms for the Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle.

Additional reporting by Alan Magee