Kopek Des Bordes earns high praise for Leopardstown win

Willie Mullins has revealed he received notable approval for the victory of Kopek Des Bordes at the Dublin Racing Festival.

His performance in the Tattersalls Ireland Novice Hurdle has left him positioned firmly at the top of the market for the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle on day one of the Cheltenham Festival.

“What he did the other day…Ted Walsh rang me the following morning and he said he hadn’t seen a performance like that since Golden Cygnet, which is huge for someone like Ted to say,” said Mullins, who added “Ted Walsh is never wrong” when asked for the banker of his squad for the week.

Mullins had previously headed the Supreme market with Salvator Mundi, who did not impress all onlookers when winning the Moscow Flyer Novice Hurdle at Punchestown.

He added: “I think he’s a horse with a lot of tactical speed and he didn’t jump well because they were going so slow the other day.

“It’s going to be interesting which one Paul (Townend) rides, we haven’t talked about it yet, but this fellow will need to do a lot at home, I think.”

Another in winning action at the weekend was Final Demand, who seems set for the Turners Novices’ Hurdle.

Mullins said: “The Albert Bartlett wouldn’t be a race I’d want to go for with him. He’s only had two runs, and I’d like a horse who started earlier in the season for that one.

“I think it’s a tough race on horses for the rest of their career and I don’t think he needs that. I think two-miles-five on that track at Cheltenham in the Turners, up that hill, is very tough on a horse and that would be a big enough question to ask him at this stage.”

Mullins hinted that Gaelic Warrior and El Fabiolo could both swerve taking on Jonbon in the Queen Mother Champion Chase and head for the Ryanair instead.

Gaelic Warrior was an impressive winner of last year’s Arkle but has yet to hit the target this term, twice chasing home Solness at Leopardstown.

The trainer said: “I was just disappointed with Gaelic Warrior on Sunday, disappointed in the overall context but I thought he looked to be going so average about the fifth last and it looked to everyone like Paul might pull him up.

“Paul actually said the same to me that he was going to pull him up and then he just seemed to get his second wind and stayed on well, so the Ryanair comes into the equation now after that.

“It could just be a bit too fast going down the back side for him (at Leopardstown), but I’m just wondering has he some other issue, which I’m trying to look into at the moment. I’ve a few things I want to look into and I want to check him before I say any more.”

The Simon Munir and Isaac Souede-owned El Fabiolo was pulled up when a short-priced favourite for last year’s Champion Chase before proving no match for Jonbon in the Celebration at Sandown.

He fell at the second fence on his seasonal reappearance in the Dublin Chase and Mullins said: “It was disappointing that he came down the other day, but he’s in the Champion Chase and the Ryanair and my feeling is that he should go up in trip for the Ryanair. That’s where I’ll be aiming for and I’ll see if Simon and Isaac agree with that.”

Energumene is set to bid for a third Champion Chase triumph, having taken top honours in 2022 and 2023 before sitting out last season through injury.

After landing the Hilly Way at Cork on his comeback, the 11-year-old found Jonbon too good at Ascot in the Clarence House but Mullins is hoping for a different outcome at Cheltenham.

He said: “I’d say he’ll be better at Cheltenham, or that’s what I hope anyway. I think the ground at Ascot was goodish that day and I think our fella might want it softer, that would be a plus for him. So, we’ll stick with that plan and we’ll pray for rain.”

As for this year’s Arkle, Majborough remains on course for a mouth-watering showdown with Sir Gino after claiming the Irish equivalent under Mark Walsh at Leopardstown.

Mullins said: “He’s a fantastic horse, he looks a really nice horse in the making and he’s only five. He does things so naturally.

“Funnily enough, last week I wanted to school him and Mark wasn’t around, so I said to Paul (Townend) to get up on him, which he wouldn’t normally do.

“Paul got down off him and he just couldn’t get over the power of him, so Paul was very taken with him and his schooling at home. So, when you impress someone like Paul, I thought that was a huge statement on a schooling morning.”