Final Demand heads strong Mullins squad for Leopardstown opener

Willie Mullins looks set to get this year’s Dublin Racing Festival off to a flying start, with a Closutton quintet in line for the curtain-raising Nathaniel Lacy & Partners Solicitors Novice Hurdle.

The champion trainer is widely expected to dominate proceedings over the two days at Leopardstown and it will be a major surprise if he does not strike gold in the first of the eight Grade One prizes that are up for grabs.

Paul Townend has sided with Final Demand, who was a 15-length winner on his rules debut at Limerick over the Christmas period, while Patrick Mullins keeps the ride on Supersundae, who emerged best of the rest behind The Yellow Clay in the Lawlor’s of Naas Novice Hurdle four weeks ago and is fitted with a tongue-strap and a hood for the first time.

“Final Demand will lead the team for the Nathaniel Lacy. He was impressive at Limerick and we’re looking forward to him,” said Mullins senior.

“I’d say Supersundae needs the trip. He pulls hard, but I think a lot of the races we’ve contested have been very slow paces and that hasn’t helped.

“When it’s their second run, they tend to drop it a bit, a lot of the excitement goes out of their system, too.”

Champion Bumper hero Jasmin De Vaux (J J Slevin) finished a disappointing fourth as a hot favourite for the Lawlor’s of Naas and will sport cheekpieces on Saturday, while Sounds Victorius (Sean O’Keeffe) is no forlorn hope judged on a New Year’s Day victory at Fairyhouse.

Of Jasmin De Vaux, Mullins added: “I’m disappointed with him and if you go back to his point-to-point if you watched it, we were worried about his jumping and when we spoke to people, they said he got over the fences but that was it.

“We’re schooling him and trying to give him confidence and I do wonder if it’s a confidence thing. When a horse does that, you sometimes wonder if it’s a physical thing, but we can’t find any physical problem that would make him do that.

“We’ll just give him time to learn and get some confidence.”

Outsider Joystick (Danny Mullins) completes the Closutton squad, fresh from beating a big field of maidens at Naas.

Among those hoping to take down the Mullins battalion is Declan Queally, who saddles high-class mare Mozzies Sister.

The six-year-old has been placed in Grade Two company on her last two starts and Queally believes she can be competitive once again.

“She’s good, she’s come out of Limerick well. I think that tacky ground at Limerick just knocked her jumping, she can jump very well, so a nice, big track and riding her a little more forward should bring out a bit of improvement,” he said.

“She hit the line very hard in Limerick, she stayed on really well and there’s no getting to the end with her.

“I’ll be hoping for a good run, obviously she will be in deep waters but she’s fit. I worked her on Monday, she’s fit and she’s ready to go. It will be a very tough test, but she’s a good filly and we are looking forward to running her.”

Also in against the might of the Mullins yard is owner-trainer Desmond Kenneally, who is represented by Pray Tell, the winner of three of his last four starts, including a Grade Three success at Cork on his most recent outing in early December.

Kenneally said: “After winning down in Cork, I had to charge my phone three times on the Monday. There were so many people ringing me, I could get nothing done – I couldn’t even boil the kettle!

“It’s great, but it’s unusual for me all this hype and excitement. I wasn’t expecting it.”