Appreciate It and Patrick Mullins go clear© Photo Healy Racing
Appreciate It proved the most impressive winner on the opening day of the Dublin Racing festival when claiming the concluding Grade 2 bumper in some style.
Willie Mullins notched a double on the card when the strongly supported 11/10 favourite (2/1 in the morning) recorded a wide-margin success in the Goffs Future Stars INH Flat Race.
Patrick Mullins tracked the leaders on the Jeremy gelding before letting him stride into the lead a furlong-and-a-half from home.
The six-year-old powered clear in the closing stages to post a seven-and-a-half length winning margin over Risk Factor
Betfair slashed the winner into 3/1 from 7/1 for the Champion Bumper at Cheltenham and Mullins said afterwards:-
“It was very impressive. The way he put away a field of what looked the best bumper horses in Ireland did surprise me but Patrick had way more confidence in him than I had.
“He was keen on him all the time. I thought it was a very tough race.
“I wasn't as worried about the trip as a lot of people were. It so happened it was a two-and-a-half mile bumper at Christmas that he ran in. He didn't need the trip then, he's fast enough.
“He looked like a Cheltenham type for me anyway. It was a very good performance and I'm very pleased.”
