JOCKEY Sean O’Keeffe bagged another big-race winner for champion trainer Willie Mullins last Sunday, landing Limerick’s Ladbrokes Munster National on the Cheveley Park Stud-owned Ontheropes.

Twenty-two-year-old O’Keeffe won the Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys Hurdle on Mullins’ Galopin Des Champs at the Cheltenham Festival in March and here bagged a third winner for the trainer, with Ontheropes, who returned from an 11-month layoff to win.

O’Keeffe held the son of Presenting in mid-division in the Grade A contest, made progress in the final half mile and improved to lead past A Wave Of The Sea jumping the last, eventually scoring by two and a quarter lengths.

Mullins wasn’t present and afterwards a delighted O’Keeffe said: “I’m delighted to get the opportunity and I want to thank Willie for putting me up.

“It’s my first time riding the horse, and, in fairness, he was very straightforward. He got away well and had a little peck at the first but after that he jumped super everywhere. We made a mistake at the second-last but when I got stuck into him, he picked up again and was always doing enough.

“Willie’s done a great job with him. He’s had a few problems along the way, but it’s great to get a good pot for him.”

WILLIE Mullins’ great training rival Gordon Elliott bagged a treble at the meeting, with the feat being notably completed by jockey Davy Russell in the www.angloprinters.ie Rated Chase, on Vado Forte (11/1, for the Call It What You Like Syndicate).

It was in last year’s Munster National, on October 11th, in which Russell sustained a serious neck injury in a first fence fall from Doctor Duffy, which necessitated 11 months on the sidelines, and today, on his only ride of the weekend, guided Vado Forte to a comfortable 15-length win.

Elliott reported: “We thought he’d run well but didn’t think he’d do that. I was worried about the trip but he could come back and could go over hurdles too.

“He is a good fun horse and Simon (McGonagle), my head man, owns him with two local publicans who gave a few quid for him so it great for them all.”

Elliott’s opening winner was in the Bluegrass Horse Feed Novice Hurdle with the Jack Kennedy-partnered Off Your Rocco (7/4 favourite, for Pioneer Racing), who beat The Little Yank by two lengths.

It was the son of Shirocco’s fourth win from five runs and Elliott later reported: “He’s a grand horse who doesn’t do anything fancy at home but he keeps winning. We’ll keep him going as long as he’s doing that. He could be one we might be able to bring to Cheltenham in October or something like that.”

Kruzhlinin bows out

Elliott’s second winner was with Kruzhlinin, under Jordan Gainford, in the David Fitzgerald Memorial Handicap Hurdle, with the trainer announcing the retirement of the 14-year-old veteran on entry to the enclosure.

A winner of 13 point-to-points and 10 racecourse outings, the son of Sholokhov received a warm reception to the winner’s enclosure and afterwards Elliott reported: “We wouldn’t run the horse unless he was in good form and this is great and he is retired now.

“While I want to train winners, we love the horses and, in fairness to Camilla (Sharples, Elliott’s head lass and owner of the winner), it is great.

“Everyone in the yard looks after this horse and he will stay in the yard now to lead the young horses – it is brilliant.”

THE Paul Nolan-trained Cheltenham Festival winner Mrs Milner returned to action with a win in the Listed Irish EBF Cailin Alainn Mares Hurdle under jockey Bryan Cooper.

Last seen when winning the Pertemps Final at Cheltenham in March, the daughter of Flemensfirth today chased the leaders, improved to lead approaching the second last flight and while she reached for the final flight, stayed on well to beat No Memory by a length and a half.

Nolan commented: “She was a little bit fresh and got upset in the parade ring, and you’d always be hoping you had them ready, especially with the ground being more testing.

“Bryan said he couldn’t get her to shorten (her stride) and she came up outside the wings at the last. She got an awful fall at Leopardstown doing that and came up a little bit silly again today, but momentum got her over it.

“We have her back in action, she’ll stay over hurdles and I genuinely think she has improved. If she improves, she has the Stayers’ Hurdle option and while I think she has improved, she needs to continue stepping up to a higher level.”

Returned to action

Big Debates, runner-up to Grade 1 winner Felix Desjy and Cheltenham Gold Cup winner Minella Indo in two point-to-points, himself returned to action with a win in the Follow Limerick On Insta Handicap Chase, scoring for trainer Robert Tyner and jockey Jack Foley.

Carrying the colours of Maurice Kelleher, Big Debates was produced by Foley to lead at the second last and stayed on well to beat Bitview Colin by five lengths.

Afterwards Tyner reported: “We are just counting days with him really as he has had a lot of issues. In his point-to-points he was second twice to two Grade 1 horses but has had a lot of problems since and every day is a bonus. We are minding him and we left him off after winning at Ballinrobe (in May).”

Winning debut

The other jumps race was the PricewaterhouseCoopers Maiden Hurdle, which saw Stumptown (for owners Bellbea Holdings Ltd) cause a 12/1 upset on his racecourse debut, for trainer Gavin Cromwell and jockey Conor McNamara. Runner-up in an April point-to-point for Sean Doyle, the French-bred son of Laverock arrived with a late challenge to beat Figurehead by three-parts of a length.

Cromwell said: “Coming here if he finished fourth or fifth, I’d have been delighted, but happy days and that was great. He was a little green the whole way around, they went a good gallop and he stayed going well. I don’t know where we’ll go now, maybe for a rated novice.”

The concluding Follow Limerick Facebook Bumper was won by Agritime (4/6 favourite), which saw 7lbs claiming jockey Michael O’Sullivan ride a winner on his first ride for Emmet Mullins.

Winning owner/breeders the O’Mahony family (Bug Syndicate), from north Kerry, previously owned Grade 1 winner Cailin Alainn, in whose name today’s listed hurdle was run.

Mullins said: “I’ve had Agritime since February and she should improve for a trip and over hurdles. It was Michael’s first ride for me and he kept it simple and was very good on her.”