Willie Mullins pictured with Ruby Walsh and David Casey© Photo Healy Racing
A stunning few hours in the race to be champion trainer saw Willie Mullins turn around his long-standing deficit with Gordon Elliott, with just one day to go and all to play for at Punchestown.
Elliott headed Mullins by €402,405 at the start of the week, but the latter has been hitting back and did so in real style on the fourth evening, with the highlight being a Grade One double through Wicklow Brave and Bacardys, both ridden by his son, Patrick.
The irresistible father-son combination added a third through Montalbano, on a night where Mullins jnr kept alive his hopes of overhauling Jamie Codd in the race to be champion amateur.
Mullins said: "I'm not thinking about where we stand, I'm just trying to get our horses to run as well as they can. We have been hitting the bar, but it's starting to come together and hopefully it will last for the next 24 hours.
"It's been the way the season has been going for us. The last few days of festivals have been good to us, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed.
"It's huge for Patrick to ride three winners for us today. His riding has got us back in front in the championship. If it comes to pass that we win the championship then Patrick's winners today will make it all the more special."
Kicking off €126,830 down, it was so nearly a flying start for Mullins in the €100,000 EMS Copiers Novice Handicap Chase, but Jessica Harrington's Woodland Opera saw off Arbre De Vie, although it did have the effect of cutting the deficit to €106,830.
That was soon negated as Jack Kennedy booted Definite Ruby home in the Hanlon Concrete European Breeders Fund Glencarraig Lady Mares Handicap Chase, bagging over €44,000 to take the Elliott advantage to €148,080, although Mullins did manage fourth with Retour En France.
Elliott, who looks like needing all the help he can get from the former Mullins-trained Apple's Jade on Saturday, said: "There's plenty of pressure, but we've had a great season no matter what happens.
"Willie is virtually impossible to beat, but we'll give it a rattle and won't go down without a fight. We're still in front and if I can go into tomorrow anywhere near him at all, I've got a lot of guns to fire."
That joy was to prove short-lived for Elliott, as a sensational performance from Wicklow Brave (12-1) in the Betdaq Punchestown Champion Hurdle saw him recapture all the sparkle that had him winning the Irish St Leger, with Mullins incredibly taking over at the head of the table to lead by €19,420.
Once the Mullins machine gets rolling it is very hard to stop and that was perfectly illustrated in the very next race as Mullins jnr got 10-1 chance Bacardys home from Finian's Oscar in the Tattersalls Ireland Champion Novice Hurdle.
Mullins stretched his lead with Montalbano's win in the novice hurdle, and ended the day with a lead of €€91,295.
