WILLIE MULLINS WAS once again fulsome in his praise of Facile Vega after seeing his star youngster stamp his class on the Paddy Power Future Champions Novice Hurdle at Leopardstown.
The outstanding performer in the bumper sphere last season with wins at the Dublin Racing Festival, the Cheltenham Festival and the Punchestown Festival, the five-year-old made a smooth transition to the jumping game at Fairyhouse earlier in the month.
Returning to Grade One level, the son of Walk In The Park and six-time Cheltenham Festival heroine Quevega was the 2-9 favourite to make it six from six and the result was never really in doubt.
After initially taking a lead from Il Etait Temps, Facile Vega almost jumped into the back of his stablemate at the first hurdle and was subsequently allowed to stride on in front.
Il Etait Temps hung in there and tried to throw down a renewed challenge from the home turn, but Facile Vega was in full command as he passed the post with four lengths in hand. Ashroe Diamond stayed on from the rear to make it a Mullins one-two-three.
When asked to give his star youngster a mark out of 10, Mullins said: “I’d nearly have to give him 11 and a half, I think!
“Plan A obviously went out the window after the first hurdle. Thankfully Il Etait Temps didn’t bring him down, Paul said he was very close to it because he absolutely winged the hurdle.
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“Then he had no lead and had to go and make his own running. He did it well, he got very free at the first hurdle down the back and took some jump at it. I was delighted to see that but I knew he couldn’t keep that up.
“Paul got him back, got him into a slower rhythm and got him jumping better. He said he was still racing in his hands the whole way but he eventually settled for him.
“I think he’ll learn an awful lot today. The big crowd and all the buzz before the race itself, all that will be a help for him in the future.”
Facile Vega remains an evens favourite with Betfair to provide the champion trainer with a record eighth win in the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival in March.
The longer Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle is an alternative option, but when asked if he will stick to two miles, Mullins added: “I wouldn’t be looking for anything else.”
The only race on the card that did not go to the Mullins team was the €200,000 Paddy Power Chase, although it was won by a former Closutton inmate in Real Steel.
Sixth in the 2020 Cheltenham Gold Cup, the nine-year-old subsequently moved to Britain to join Paul Nicholls before being bought by Eric McNamara earlier this year for £27,000.
The nine-year-old was a 33-1 shot for his latest assignment and had just enough in the tank to repel the late thrust of Diol Ker by a short head, with the trainer’s son Conor the winning rider.
“It was brilliant the way it worked out. He was well handicapped if we could rekindle him and to win one of these handicaps is great,” said McNamara senior.
“He spent two years doing nothing in England, whatever went wrong there. We changed his routine, brought him a few different places to work and we never took him off the bridle.
“We trained him like he was a really good horse and he always worked against horses that he could beat, just to try to mentally get him back to where he was.
“He was a really good horse. He was only beaten seven and a quarter lengths in a Gold Cup.
“Conor gave him a great ride and did everything right so it’s fantastic.”
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Vega earns Mullins’ praise with Facile Future Champions strike
WILLIE MULLINS WAS once again fulsome in his praise of Facile Vega after seeing his star youngster stamp his class on the Paddy Power Future Champions Novice Hurdle at Leopardstown.
The outstanding performer in the bumper sphere last season with wins at the Dublin Racing Festival, the Cheltenham Festival and the Punchestown Festival, the five-year-old made a smooth transition to the jumping game at Fairyhouse earlier in the month.
Returning to Grade One level, the son of Walk In The Park and six-time Cheltenham Festival heroine Quevega was the 2-9 favourite to make it six from six and the result was never really in doubt.
After initially taking a lead from Il Etait Temps, Facile Vega almost jumped into the back of his stablemate at the first hurdle and was subsequently allowed to stride on in front.
Il Etait Temps hung in there and tried to throw down a renewed challenge from the home turn, but Facile Vega was in full command as he passed the post with four lengths in hand. Ashroe Diamond stayed on from the rear to make it a Mullins one-two-three.
When asked to give his star youngster a mark out of 10, Mullins said: “I’d nearly have to give him 11 and a half, I think!
“Plan A obviously went out the window after the first hurdle. Thankfully Il Etait Temps didn’t bring him down, Paul said he was very close to it because he absolutely winged the hurdle.
“Then he had no lead and had to go and make his own running. He did it well, he got very free at the first hurdle down the back and took some jump at it. I was delighted to see that but I knew he couldn’t keep that up.
“Paul got him back, got him into a slower rhythm and got him jumping better. He said he was still racing in his hands the whole way but he eventually settled for him.
“I think he’ll learn an awful lot today. The big crowd and all the buzz before the race itself, all that will be a help for him in the future.”
Facile Vega remains an evens favourite with Betfair to provide the champion trainer with a record eighth win in the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival in March.
The longer Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle is an alternative option, but when asked if he will stick to two miles, Mullins added: “I wouldn’t be looking for anything else.”
The only race on the card that did not go to the Mullins team was the €200,000 Paddy Power Chase, although it was won by a former Closutton inmate in Real Steel.
Sixth in the 2020 Cheltenham Gold Cup, the nine-year-old subsequently moved to Britain to join Paul Nicholls before being bought by Eric McNamara earlier this year for £27,000.
The nine-year-old was a 33-1 shot for his latest assignment and had just enough in the tank to repel the late thrust of Diol Ker by a short head, with the trainer’s son Conor the winning rider.
“It was brilliant the way it worked out. He was well handicapped if we could rekindle him and to win one of these handicaps is great,” said McNamara senior.
“He spent two years doing nothing in England, whatever went wrong there. We changed his routine, brought him a few different places to work and we never took him off the bridle.
“We trained him like he was a really good horse and he always worked against horses that he could beat, just to try to mentally get him back to where he was.
“He was a really good horse. He was only beaten seven and a quarter lengths in a Gold Cup.
“Conor gave him a great ride and did everything right so it’s fantastic.”
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facile vega leopardstown racing smooth transition Willie Mullins