The Yellow Clay extended his unbeaten record for the season to four with a facile victory in the Lawlor’s of Naas Novice Hurdle.
A high-class bumper performer last season, Gordon Elliott’s six-year-old made a smart start to his career over hurdles at Down Royal before landing Grade Three and Grade Two prizes at Navan. He was an 11-4 shot to successfully graduate to Grade One level in the hands of Sam Ewing and ultimately did so with relative ease.
With fellow Elliott runner Wingmen deployed in a pacesetting role, The Yellow Clay raced in third for much of the 2½-mile contest before joining his stablemate at the top of the home straight. The Yellow Clay was travelling much the best jumping the second flight from the finish and soon kicked clear, safely negotiating the last before galloping up the run-in to seal an eight-length verdict.
Supersundae emerged best of four runners for Willie Mullins, making late gains to beat Wingmen to the runner-up spot.
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The disappointment of the race was last season’s Champion Bumper hero Jasmin De Vaux, who beat two subsequent Leopardstown winners despite jumping poorly on his hurdling debut at Navan a month ago, but could not get away with it in this company and finished a well beaten fourth as the 11-8 favourite.
Of the winner, Elliott said: “He just knows how to win and is improving the whole time. I was very worried about the ground and was undecided about running him but I rang Noel (Moran, owner), who is in Turkey, and he gave me the green light. They went a good gallop all the way and Wingmen ran a good race as well.
“I’d imagine he (The Yellow Clay) will go straight to Cheltenham now. I loved the way he travelled today and if anything he probably got there plenty soon. Sam said he hated the ground. The race in Navan, where he was a bit behind the bridle, probably helped to wake him up.”
Bookmakers have The Yellow Clay a 7-1 shot from 20-1 for the Turners Novices’ Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival in March, while he is 8-1 from 12-1 for the Albert Bartlett.
Ile Atlantique looks set to take high rank over fences judged on a dominant display in the Racing Post Novice Chase. Twice placed in Grade Ones over hurdles last season, including a narrow defeat in the Lawlor’s of Naas Novice Hurdle on this card 12 month ago, the Mullins-trained gelding made a fine start to his chasing career at Navan and was a 13-8 chance to follow up at Grade Two level under Paul Townend.
Ile Atlantique’s supporters will have had few concerns, with the seven-year-old travelling strongly throughout the two-mile journey before moving into the lead in the back straight. With the stands’ rail to help Townend always looked happy he had the chasing trio covered from the home turn and he was pushed out from the final fence to score by five lengths, with Firefox second and 11-10 favourite Inthepocket only third.
Mullins said: “His efficient jumping won it for him. He loves that ground and from an early stage you could see he was jumping more efficiently than everything else. He’s matured a lot and got stronger than last year, which is a big help, and fences might just be the making of him. Paul says when he sees a fence he measures it himself and it just seems natural to him.”
Fun Fun Fun made an impressive start to her career over fences when leading home a one-two-three for Mullins in the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Mares Beginners Chase. Bred and ridden by the trainer’s son Patrick Mullins, the seven-year-old was a Grade Two bumper winner for owners Simon Munir and Isaac Souede and won at Listed and Grade Three level over hurdles.
She was a 7-2 shot for her first outing over the larger obstacles and having jumped well throughout on the front end, coasted clear in the home straight to register an emphatic 7½-length success over stablemate Karia Des Blaises, with another Closutton inmate in Iris Emery back in third.
“She jumped well for a mare having her first run. She jumped the fifth last very well and got two lengths there which changed the race,” said Willie Mullins. “The Opera Hat back here next month could be a possibility. Karia Des Blaises jumped indifferently, which left her with too much to do, but she’ll get her turn and Iris Emery ran a cracker.”
