RACING: WILLIE MULLINS believes there are plenty of options for his newest champion hurdle winner Thousand Stars who recorded a memorable success at Auteuil on Saturday.
The Ruby Walsh-ridden grey gave Mullins a third success in the Grande Course De Haies D’Auteuil, the French Champion Hurdle, when comfortably beating Bel La Vie at the weekend.
It also completed a Champion Hurdle clean-sweep for Ireland’s champion trainer after Hurricane Fly’s wins at Cheltenham and Leopardstown earlier this year.
Thousand Stars made light of the marathon three-mile and one-and-a-half furlong trip to follow in the footsteps of the Nobody Told Me (2003) and Rule Supreme (2004.) His stable companion Mourad, ridden by Katie Walsh, was fourth and Final Approach was unplaced.
Bookmaker reaction was to make Thousand Stars a 25 to 1 shot for next year’s World Hurdle but Mullins isn’t going to be tied down to going the stamina route.
“To be placed in a Champion Hurdle (second to Hurricane Fly at Punchestown) and then win a staying Champion Hurdle means he will have a lot of options next season. I would certainly imagine with the amount of prizemoney available he will stay hurdling rather than go chasing. He will stick to hurdling,” Ireland’s champion trainer said yesterday.
“It was a great day. There was a lot of rain on the morning of the race and the ground turned quite soft so a lot of things fell into place. They didn’t go a fantastic gallop because of the ground and that worked out.
“Mourad ran well and would probably have liked a stronger gallop and I was very happy with Final Approach considering it was his first time over anything like that trip. He could possibly go chasing.”
Walsh was winning France’s greatest hurdle prize for the first time and thanked his sister who had been Thousand Star’s regular rider earlier in the season.
“The horse deserved it – this fella’s form through Hurricane Fly is incredible,” he said. “I have to say a big thanks to Katie. I spoke to her about which one to ride and she put me in the right direction.”
The Mullins-Walsh runner in the Prix Alain Du Breil, France’s Triumph Hurdle, was Twinlight but he could finish only fifth behind the winning favourite, Tidara Angel.
Barry Geraghty is in action at Kilbeggan this evening and he can help St Devote to a fifth career victory in the novice chase.
The Eoin Griffin-trained runner is owned by a syndicate that includes the Irish international footballers, John O’Shea and Stephen Hunt, and won his first chase at Tipperary earlier this month. The recent rain could leave the ground perfect for St Devote and the two-and-a-half mile trip also looks suitable.
Loch Long goes three miles for the first time in the novice hurdle but the horse that ran behind Fame And Glory in just his third start in the 2009 Irish Derby was impressive when beating Glenstar at Ballinrobe last time.
Glenstar runs himself in the opening maiden hurdle and a victory would hardly be out of turn for the 116-rated runner. He has been out of the first four just twice in his ten starts over hurdles and bumpers and while clearly tough to win with, a summer maiden looks within his range.
