Good week for Tipperary racing winners capped off by another win for Rachael Blackmore

With winners for eight different owners and four different jockeys across the weekend, Willie Mullins dominated the 2024 Dublin Racing Festival at Leopardstown from start to finish. He saddled four winners on Saturday and recorded a five-timer on Sunday and his haul included all eight Grade 1 races at the meeting which attracted an attendance of 36,020 across the two days.

A crowd of just over 20,000 was on hand to see Mullins win the first three races at Leopardstown on Saturday, all Grade 1 events, before Galopin Des Champs got the better of old rival Fastorslow to win the afternoon’s feature, the Paddy Power Irish Gold Cup.

A first winner of the weekend for Paul Townend, the Audrey Turley-owned 1/3 favourite made all the running and came home a four and a half-length winner form Matin Brassil’s stable star who had beaten him on two occasions at Punchestown last year. Earlier, Danny Mullins had taken the opening three races, at odds of 534/1, on horses trained by his uncle.

The outsider of the six runners, 16/1 chance Dancing City got the better of the Townend-ridden even money favourite Predators Gold in the two and three-quarter-mile novice hurdle to win for owner Marie Donnelly, the well-supported 7/2 chance Kargese, in the colours of Kenny Alexander, beat the Townend-ridden 9/4 favourite Storm Heart in the two-mile juvenile hurdle while 6/1 shot Il Etait Temps, owned by the Hollywood Syndicate and Barnane Stud, got up in the dying strides to pip Gordon Elliott’s Found A Fifty by a next in the two-mile and one-furlong novice chase in which the Barry Connell-trained Marine Nationale, the 4/7 favourite, was well beaten.

Elliott and conditional jockey Carl Millar won the three-mile handicap hurdle with 28/1 chance Maxxum which is owned and bred by Patrick Rabbitt while there was an English-trained winner as 4/1 joint-favourite Madara won the handicap chase over the extended two miles for trainer Sophie Leech and jockey James Reveley. He beat the Gavin Cromwell-trained Path D’Oroux by a cosy two and three-parts of a lengths.

The concluding bumper was won in very taking fashion by the Paul Byrne-owned Jeroboam Machin which pulled clear inside the final furlong to beat the Willie Mullins-trained You Oughta Know, ridden by Jody Townend, at odds of 12/1. The winner was ridden for trainer Emmet Mullins by Derek O'Connor.

Sunday’s attendance at Leopardstown of 16,003 was treated to a Willie Mullins five-timer, the highlight of which was the repeat success of the country’s leading hurdle State Man in the Chanelle Pharma Irish Champion Hurdle. Paul Townend had an easy time of it as the 2/5 favourite, another in the colours of Marie Donnelly, easily beat the Henry de Bromhead-trained Bob Olinger by five and a half lengths.

Mark Walsh was in the saddle as the JP McManus-owned 6/4 chance Fact To File finished alone to win the earlier Ladbrokes Novice Chase for Mullins. His only rival was his own stable companion Gaelic Warrior, the 4/7 favourite, which was well beaten off when unshipping Paul Townend at the final fence. Paul Townend partnered Ballyburn to a hugely impressive win in the Tattersalls Ireland 50th Derby Sale Novice Hurdle.

Owned by Ronnie Bartlett and David Manasseh, the 10/11 favourite went clear in the straight to beat the Henry de Bromhead-trained Slade Steel by seven lengths. Townend was also successful on 4/11 favourite El Fabiolo in the Ladbrokes Dublin Chase as the Simon Munir and Isaac Souede-owned seven-year-old beat another of the Willie Mullins brigade, Dinoblue, by eight and a half lengths. Townend rode four winners at the Dublin Racing Festival and, sitting on a tally of 91, he’s now eight winners behind Jack Kennedy in the race to become champion jockey.

Jody Townend gave Willie Mullins his ninth and final success of the weekend end when winning the Grade 2 mares’ bumper on the 10/1 chance Fleur Au Fusil. Owned by Paddy Reilly and his son Ciaran, the six-year-old led fully five furlongs from the finish and powered home to win by two and a half lengths from the Seamus Fahey-trained Switch From Diesel.

Also on Sunday, owners Simon Munir and Isaac Souede also won the Paddy Mullins Mares Handicap Hurdle as 20/1 chance Brucio, ridden by JJ Slevin for Stuart Crawford, scored a six-length success from David O'Brien’s Minx Tiara. Henry de Bromhead and Rachael Blackmore took the two-mile five-furlong handicap chase with the Robcour-owned Heart Wood which scored a 14-length success over Gordon Elliott’s Riaan at odds of 6/1.

The 11-year-old Lord Erskine, trained by Harry Rogers and ridden by Darragh O'Keeffe, the beat the de Bromhead-trained Magical Zoe by an easy three and a half lengths to win the two-mile handicap hurdle in the red and white colours of the late Jerry Nolan.

John Ryan supplied one of only two winning favourites at Limerick on Tuesday. Willie Mullins stuck with 8/13 chance Mistergif in the earlier maiden hurdle and Ryan gave punters a helping hand as he saddled Mount Frisco to take the two-mile novice handicap hurdle. Ridden by Philip Donovan, the well-supported 5/2 chance made all the running to win by a cosy three lengths from the Gavin Cromwell-trained In The Trenches. The winner had won a rated novice chase at Tramore on New Year's Day.

Andrew Slattery and County Kilkenny apprentice Cian Horgan recorded their first winners of 2024 as Mount Ruapehu scored a 16/1 success in the concluding six-furlong handicap at Dundalk on Wednesday. Owned by the Whackey Racers Syndicate, the four-year-old led inside the final furlong to beat the Jennifer Lynch-trained Irish Rumour by a length and a half.

Upcoming Fixtures

Fairyhouse – Wednesday, February 7 (First Race 1.30pm)

Thurles – Thursday, February 8 (First Race 1.55pm)

Dundalk – Friday, February 9 (First Race 4.30pm)

Naas – Saturday, February 10 (First Race 1.07pm)

Navan – Sunday, February 11 (First Race 1.45pm)