Willie Mullins bags Thurles four-timer with Festival in sight

Willie Mullins served notice that his string could be peaking at just the right time ahead of the Cheltenham Festival with a Thursday four-timer at Thurles.

The feature event on a seven-race card in County Tipperary was the Grade Three Pierce Molony Memorial Novice Chase, in which the champion trainer saddled both C’est Ta Chance and Jalila Moriviere in opposition to 11-8 favourite Soldier In Milan, trained by his nephew Emmet.

In testing conditions, 4-1 shot C’est Ta Chance excelled in the hands of Paul Townend, pulling four and three-quarter lengths clear of the runner-up Nowwhatdoyouthink. Jalila Moriviere was third and Soldier In Milan was fourth.

Townend said: “I was robbed by this horse at Gowran the last day (finishing second on Funiculi Funicula), but we won’t go into that one! He was brilliant today and has been a revelation over fences.

“He is in a good vein of form now and it was a tough performance to stay going on that ground, as we were stuck in the muck behind the others. I felt I needed to get out of there and to sacrifice ground by going to the outside and getting clear air.

“It was a good step up today, he is putting it together and while he will have to step up again, he is going the right way and showed a lovely attitude.”

The Mullins-Townend axis got the afternoon off to a perfect start in the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Mares Beginners Chase, with Karamoja scoring by 12 lengths as a 5-4 market leader.

“She had decent form last year and was placed in a Grade One at Fairyhouse,” said the rider.

“She had been keen on her first run over fences when she ran OK, but she was obviously very flat the last day at Naas, where she was never going.

“We took the hood off today, she jumped for fun and it was more like it.”

Anna McGuinness steered 4-7 favourite Arslan to a comprehensive success for the Closutton team in the Adare Manor Opportunity Maiden Hurdle, after which Townend completed a treble of his own aboard Blizzard Of Oz (9-4) in the Jimmy Neville And Aine Hurst Memorial Hurdle.

“The horses are hitting form at the right time and riding this horse from the last (hurdle) to the line, they just seem get you out of trouble when they hit that form,” Townend said.

“Thankfully they seem to be running well and nothing beats riding winners for confidence and, like anyone in any sport, you need confidence.”

Regarding Blizzard Of Oz, he added: “That will do his confidence the world of good. He still had a couple of sticky jumps and I thought his jump at the second-last might have cost me, but he found plenty, which he hasn’t always done.”