Douvan puts punters’ minds at ease with thrilling victory

Racing history could yet reduce Douvan’s Punchestown success yesterday to relative footnote status in a great career, banishing memories of a widespread sense of pre-race unease among the festival crowd to curio status. But just as it did exist so did the most exciting jumps horse in training ultimately make it irrelevant.

By the end of his 11-length rout in the Ryanair Novice Chase, Douvan's 2-9 odds looked the same sort of rare gift you suspect Willie Mullins regards training a horse he views as the most talented he's ever had.

“To win at all three festivals (Cheltenham-Aintree-Punchestown) the way he has is fantastic. We’ve seen a few this week not able to do the three. Some of mine haven’t been able to take that pressure. But he did it easily.

“He does that every day at home, just canters away from whatever opposition there is. He’s an incredible horse – and I get to see him every day!” Mullins said.

Busy campaign

Rich Ricci

gets to see him often too but the flamboyant American owner was only reflecting many concerns among the 16,978 attendance – mindful of how all four previous odd-on favourites this week had been beaten – when the normally laidback Douvan was on his toes beforehand, provoking fears a busy campaign might be catching up with him.

“I’ve never see him do that before,” Ricci had muttered. There was more than a hint of relief afterwards when he grinned: “He didn’t seem very happy today, but he’s some taxi, a great horse.”

Legendary names such as Istabraq and Sprinter Sacre are among a select group to have pulled off such a Grade One festival hat-trick.

But even in such circumstances, Douvan’s potential still looked limitless as he made most of the running and jumped impeccably.

Afterwards speculation immediately began as to where Douvan might be targeted next season.

He is already odds-on for the two-mile Champion which Mullins conceded is “most likely” while simultaneously stating he believes the horse also possesses Gold Cup type stamina.

However when pressed as to what’s next for the exceptional French bred, the champion trainer was unequivocal – “grass!”

Douvan was one of 14 Irish trained winners at Cheltenham but the British team at Punchestown this week continued to make their presence felt with One Track Mind landing a 10-1 success in the Ladbrokes Champion Stayers Hurdle.

Crashing out

Ridden by Gavin Sheehan, from Dunmanway in Co Cork, One Track Mind was too good for the 33-1 outsider Jennies Jewel after Ruby Walsh endured another Grade One final-flight mishap this season with Shaneshill crashing out at the last.

“It was one of those surreal feelings watching the race as I was happy the whole way through,” One Track Mind’s trainer Warren Greatrex said. “We love Punchestown and have kept a team to bring over this year.”

Nicky Henderson is a Punchestown stalwart and he brought the cross-channel tally this week to four when Cup Final battled through ground softened by heavy hail showers to pip the gambled-on Jury Duty on the line in a handicap hurdle.

“It’s getting hard work out there, getting soft, and I wouldn’t want it to get any softer for My Tent Or Yours (Betdaq Champion Hurdle.)

“But it will be fresh ground and our horses are running well,” Henderson said.

Despite the prevailing inclement weather, ground conditions remained officially “yielding” and clerk of the course, Brendan Sheridan said: “We are told the bulk of the bad weather is gone and we could be back to good to yielding by the morning.”

Specialist Enda Bolger secured his 13th La Touche success over the banks course as Quantitiveeasing beat his own stable companion Cantlow at 9-4 odds.