‘Efficient jumping’ helps Ile Atlantique stay unbeaten over fences

Ile Atlantique looks set to take high rank over fences judged on a dominant display in the Racing Post Novice Chase at Naas.

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 Willie 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.”

Coral cut Ile Atlantique to 8-1 from 20-1 for the Arkle at Cheltenham in March and the Irish equivalent at next month’s Dublin Racing Festival at Leopardstown could be next on his agenda.

“We just have to keep that improvement in him for the season. His season tapered off a bit last year and maybe it was because of the drying ground in the spring,” Mullins added.

“He’s one that we can now go two miles or two-and-a-half. We’ll look at the Dublin Racing Festival and see which direction we go.

“Majborough would be in the two-mile race (Irish Arkle) and maybe he could go along with him. We have a few for the two-mile-five-furlong race, which would look the place where Ballyburn would go”