A hat-trick of wins for strong stayer Zola Willie Mullins and Paul Townend received a pick-me-up after the unfortunate demise of Wicklow Brave at Far Hills on Saturday when Zola (15/8) took the I.N.H. Stallion Owners EBF Novice Hurdle by three lengths from the 9/10 favourite Battle Of Midway. Townend had been on board when the Mullins’ stable stalwart took a fatal fall at the final hurdle in the American Grand National when looking set to record an 18th career victory. His mount here, a diminutive daughter of Court Cave whose dam is a half-sister to The Listener, got a nice run through on the inside of front-running stablemate Think Positive to lead after two out, and ran on too strongly for the much more physically-imposing market leader. This success made it three on the bounce for Zola, after winning a bumper at Sligo and a maiden hurdle at Listowel. "She did it nicely, said winning rider Paul Townend, "I thought for a second coming off the bend we were in trouble. When I got straightened up she jumped the third and second last flights well and it got her going forward and she picked up nicely. "I thought the new hurdles here rode well, they respected them and they are something different. I thought they rode well and while you'd probably be better asking the second lad, I was happy with them." "Wicklow Brave was an unbelievable horse and it looked like we were going to have great day but it put a real dampener on the trip. Pravalaguna was good, Dermot Weld's horse (Days Without End, finished second) ran well in the Champion Hurdle but is was disappointing what happened to Wicklow Brave. "It is a tight track, the ground is quick and the ground is so quick underneath, the soil on the top was starting to shift a little bit which wasn't ideal. "It is a tight bend (before the last) but once I got him balanced again he was starting to open up again. I thought I'd have won and he is a big big loss. "Winning the County Hurdle was a high point and riding him in the St Leger was something I'll probably never again get to do; riding in a Classic on the flat was a stand-out moment for me." Additional reporting by Thomas Weekes
