Gameofinches in a different league to emerge as Champion Bumper favourite

Gameofinches became the new favourite for the Weatherbys Champion Bumper at the Cheltenham Festival when bringing up a treble for Willie Mullins at Punchestown on Thursday.

Running in the colours of Professor Caroline Tisdall – who is also involved in David Pipe’s leading British challenger Windbeneathmywings – the strapping six-year-old was sent off the 8-15 favourite for the concluding event on the card and delivered in style in the hands of Patrick Mullins.

Having travelled stylishly through the contest, his rider remained motionless as he sauntered to the front with a furlong to run and cruised clear of his hard-ridden rivals.

He cantered to the easiest of four-and-a-quarter-length victories to leave the layers running for cover, as Gameofinches usurped stablemate Copacabana at the head of the Champion Bumper market, being as short as 3-1 for Prestbury Park glory in places.

“He did what I was hoping he could do. His home work has been nice, he showed on the track what he had been showing me at home,” said Mullins.

“I was very happy with the outcome and I’d imagine, if he recovers nicely from that race, he’ll go to the Cheltenham bumper.

“He’s a big horse and you never know how much it takes out of them until a week or 10 days after the race.

“He seems to have a nice temperament, in the parade ring before the race and in the winner’s enclosure afterwards, so that all helps when you are travelling across the water.

“He looks a real chasing type. We’ll see what happens him next year, whether we’ll go over hurdles.

“He’s six now so we might go straight chasing with him, I’m not sure hurdling would do anything for his career but they are discussions for another day with his connections.”

Earlier in the afternoon, Mullins’ High Class Hero looked to book his own ticket to the Cheltenham Festival and is likely to take on stablemates Ballyburn and Dancing City after breaking his duck over fences.

Ballyburn is the hot favourite for the Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase in the Cotswolds next month, with Dancing City rated his biggest threat by bookmakers, but High Class Hero won four of his six starts over hurdles and proved himself capable of mixing it at Grade One level when pushing Dancing City close at the Punchestown Festival last spring.

The eight-year-old was beaten by Shannon Royale on his chasing debut at Punchestown on New Year’s Eve, but the 8-15 market leader made no mistake at the second attempt in the QuinnBet Beginners Chase, seeing off the persistent challenge of another Mullins runner in Loughglynn by two and three-quarter lengths.

Coral cut High Class Hero’s Brown Advisory odds to 25-1 from 33-1, and Mullins confirmed his likely participation at showpiece meeting in less than three weeks’ time.

“He did it nicely. The ground was quite testing as they had a lot of rain before racing,” said the champion trainer, who was also on the mark with high-class mare Jade De Grugy.

“He’s in the Brown Advisory. He would look that type of an animal and we’ll probably head in that direction.

“The other fella (Loughglynn) will probably stay at home and we’ll find something for him.”

Also on the card, Fortunedefortunata led home a one-two-three for Gordon Elliott in the QuinnBet Grand National Trial Handicap Chase, while Springt De La Mare (9-2) made it two from two over fences for Gavin Cromwell in the Concept Colours Rated Novice Chase.

“He jumped really well and it was a good performance,” said Cromwell.

“I was just saying to Keith there that we couldn’t win a maiden hurdle with him, but he’s taken to this better. He jumps really well and got through that ground well.

“The handicapper will have a bit of a say with that. He doesn’t qualify for some of the bigger handicaps yet, with only two runs, so I’m not really sure where we go now.”