What a start from Lord as Mullins and Townend double up Lord Royal (11/10 into 4/5) stylishly brought up a Clonmel double for Willie Mullins and Paul Townend when winning on debut over jumps in the Monroe Maiden Hurdle. Following on from stable companion Tiger Tap Tap’s win thirty five minutes earlier, Lord Royal had no problem coming off a 613 day absence. He’d had one outing on the Flat in France, in May 2018, when finishing second. Here the grey chased the leader, disputing from the seventh. Leading at the next, the successful son of Lord Du Sud asserted before two out. Clear before the last, a flight he reached for, Lord Royal eventually easily accounted for Farmix by thirty three lengths. "He is a beautiful horse and we've always liked him since he came. Jeremy Maxwell found him in France for WIllie and to do anything with he is a gorgeous horse," said Mullins representative David Casey. "We think he is not too bad and will build on that. He is in the two novice hurdles at the Dublin festival but I'd imagine it would come too soon. "I'd imagine we'll look for something between now and Cheltenham and we like him anyway and he could be an Albert Bartlett type of horse. "Paul said he went through the ground very easily and has a very relaxed way of going and that helps him as well. Paul said he's going to be some chaser. "Willie's travelling head man, Ben Delmar, from Caragh, normally goes racing but couldn't be here today as his father Ned passed away yesterday morning." C.A. Landers, rider of No Grey Area's trained by Martin Hassett, reported to the Clerk of Scales that his mount stumbled on the downhill run before the straight and passed tired horses in the latter stages of this race. (TW & EM)
