Class shines through as El Fabiolo canters to Leopardstown win

El Fabiolo made the most of having his sights lowered with a wide-margin victory in the QuinnBet Hurdle at Leopardstown.

A four-time Grade One winner over fences, the Willie Mullins-trained nine-year-old successfully reverted to the smaller obstacles at Punchestown on New Year’s Eve, but finished tailed off after making much of the running in last month’s Irish Champion Hurdle.

Dropping down in class on his return to the Foxrock circuit, El Fabiolo was the 2-7 favourite to claim a 10th career win and he predictably outclassed his rivals with a dominant 21-length success under Paul Townend. His stablemate Soir De Garde came from a long way back to beat Maxxum to the runner-up spot.

Townend said: “I thought if I could hold him for some bit of the race it would be a help, but when they were going that slow I just let him at it because I didn’t want to get into too much of a fight with him.

“He seems to be enjoying life. He took on his hurdles really nicely and he’s won really well.

“I think he could be competitive at a good level. It was a huge ask for him the last time, over two miles especially.

“I think they can farm plenty of nice races with him.”

When asked if he could ever see El Fabiolo going back over fences, the jockey added: “Never say never. On his last run over fences he was running a cracker, but he just made another mistake. I think I would have (gone very close).

“The ability was always there, but the fences were just getting in the way!

“I think he’s a happy horse over hurdles at the moment. As I said you never say never, but I couldn’t see it myself.”

El Fabiolo’s owners Simon Munir and Isaac Souede completed a big-race double in the Listed QuinnBet Handicap Chase, with Stuart Crawford’s 14-1 shot O’Toole repelling the late surge of Invictus Machin by a neck in the hands of J J Slevin.

“We’ve thought the world of this horse from the day he won the bumper in Fairyhouse and he was second in the Grade One at Punchestown,” said Crawford.

“He’s had a few wee problems which kept him off the track for a long time – when we started this season he had only run eight times.

“He had a great run back at Cork and then we fancied him at Haydock last time and for whatever reason it didn’t happen. Haydock can be a funny track, we gave him a good break and had this race in mind and thankfully it’s worked out.”

Gordon Elliott’s Playtime could be on his travels later in the year after scoring at 7-4 in the Adare Manor Opportunity Maiden Hurdle, with Josh Williamson the winning rider.

Elliott’s assistant Mouse O’Ryan said: “He’s a grand horse who we bought of Andrew Balding’s yard. He was very keen early on and he was a bit keen there again today, but I’d say it wasn’t the strongest race in the world.

“One of the owners is from Tipperary but three Irish-American fellas own him as well, from New York and Florida. Former jockey Mark Madden is involved.

“The plan will be to go to Far Hills (near New York) in October. He’ll pay his way during the summer – he wants better ground than that – and we’ll probably go back on the Flat as well.

“Mark is from Galway and he’s christening his child on the Sunday before the Galway Festival this year, so I’d say we’ll probably have to land there!”

Emmet Mullins struck gold in the Connolly’s RED MILLS Irish EBF Auction Novice Hurdle, with his 9-4 shot Vitorio Piel and Donagh Meyler upsetting the 8-11 favourite Grey Jude.

“It was a nice performance, hopefully now he’s just coming to himself,” said Mullins.

“I think he should improve again for a bit of nicer ground as the spring goes on and the final of the series in Punchestown is going to be the big aim for him. We had him qualified already and this race just fitted in nicely.”

Meyler doubled up when the Sarah Connell-trained Promontory (4-1) won the Dublin National Handicap Chase in the Monsignor colours of Malcolm Denmark.