Going - Good - Yielding .
Jackpot Pool - €661.23 Not Won. Carried forward to Cork on Saturday 4th January. Placepot Pool - €20,911.91 Dividend - €16.30 Winning Units - 893.15. Days Aggregate - €120,109.33 Last Year €126,608.49
Aurora Vega brings up across-the-card double for Mullins
She at least put that run in Wexford behind her and looked like she’s back on an upward curve,. I’m very happy with how she jumped and how she handled the ground. I think there is the Solerina race here towards the end of the month and we’d be looking at that. I like when they show a liking for here because you can always look at the Grade 1 race here at Easter.
Sounds Victorius makes it three on day for Mullins
He’s a lovely big type, a real chasing type. He’s just really laid-back and he just idled. When the other horses came around him, it took him a while to pick up and go again. With the new configuration of hurdles here, so they don’t have to take them out because of sun, there is a lot of racing without a hurdle. Paul said he lost complete interest going down the back. It’s a better system, though, if they can have all the jumps in and I applaud Fairyhouse for that. It looks like he’s crying out for a further trip. We’ll be aiming him higher now and he might be an Albert Bartlett type. He’s out of a Presenting mare, so he’s going to stay all day and he’ll go on better ground.
Patience pays off with Must
We’re happy with that, he’s eight-year-old so he’s entitled to it,. He’s a funny horse. I went to Ballinrobe with him in the summer and he got jarred up, we thought he wanted good ground but I wasn’t happy with him when he came home. We ran him at Punchestown over three miles and felt he just didn’t get the trip. We thought we’d go back to two-and-a-half here and it obviously worked. Kieren said he definitely doesn’t want heavy ground either. He was well entitled to win one, we felt, somewhere along the line. Hopefully we can get another one out of him somewhere. He said the first half he wasn’t travelling for him but he said when he gave him a smack across the top at Ballyhack and said ‘get into the race a bit’ he tanked with him then. I’m happy that he put his nose in front eventually for us.
John Storey stays on stoutly to prevail in Fairyhouse
We were watching it on telly and when I saw him fall out of the picture I thought ‘oh jaysus, this is a pu (pulled up)’ but, when he came back into the telly, he just started picking them off. All he does is stay,.
Easy for Vassy in Fairyhouse Grade 3
It was nice performance from her. She enjoyed being in front today and Paul said she just enjoyed her jumping and galloping,. Even with the 24mm of rain they had here the ground needed it all. It’s still not real winter heavy or anything like that and she enjoyed that nice bit of ground. She put in some super jumps and I’m very happy with her. We’ll possibly look at the Opera Hat next at Naas, it’s down in trip which wouldn’t be ideal but it’s a mares race.
Champ Kiely gives Mullins his sixth winner on New Year's Day
He did everything as it should be done, he galloped and jumped. Paul was very happy that he’s much more relaxed over fences than he was over hurdles, which will hopefully bring about more improvement in him. We’ll have to look at the two-mile-five at the Dublin Racing Festival. He could easily step up in trip, Paul remarked that he was so relaxed which means you could step up. Chosen Witness ran a cracker and I’m very pleased with him. I’m disappointed for O’Moore Park, he was running a great race and didn’t deserve to fall. He jumped well throughout the race and the last fence just let him down.
Good Deal delights Magee in Fairyhouse
I thought he was impressive. He’s been off the track for a while and hasn’t been on grass or anything. I thought he’d need the run. Eoin gave him a lovely ride, he got it easy enough in front and quickened well off the bend. He had the form, but had just been off the track for a while. He’s nearly 17 hands, he just had two runs and we let him off. We were coming here hoping for a nice first run and maybe win the next day. I’d say he’ll be sold, if not he could go for a winners' bumper.
