Mullins on the double at Thurles

For a four-year-old filly Unika La Reconce put up a lovely performance in the Gift Horse Gallery Horse & Jockey Hotel Mares Maiden Hurdle under Ruby Walsh to bring up a short-priced Thurles double for Willie Mullins.

The French-import threw some beautiful leaps on her Irish debut. She achieved the win from the front and put the race to bed from before the last on her way to a twelve length thrashing of second favourite, Speckled Wood

Mullins, on the mark in the previous event with Midnight Game said of Susannah Ricci's Unika La Reconce: "She's a mare that'll probably be better over fences. She doesn't really have respect for those hurdles but she'll go down the mares novice hurdle route now.

"She's a fine big mare and she'll carry weight over a fence. She might come back here in March for that novice hurdle that comes up before Cheltenham.

"The Grade 1 mares novice hurdle at Fairyhouse would be a possibility as well.

"She was bought from the same trainer in France that had Arvika Ligeonniere - Philippe Peltier.

"She's by Robin Des Champs and we like those." (TW & EM)