CHAMPION trainer Willie Mullins won the Clonmel Oil Chase for the ninth time in the 12 most recent renewals at Clonmel on Thursday, where the Grade 2 prize was won by his head-strong front-runner Saint Sam (6/4 favourite).

Ridden by Paul Townend, Saint Sam performed his customary front-running role with Solness giving chase. While Solness eventually cracked in the final half-mile, Saint Sam maintained his gallop to comfortably hold running-on Fil Dor by six and a half lengths.

Mullins wasn’t present and, afterwards, Townend commented “he is a hardy bit of stuff, has his way of doing it and you’re a passenger on him, as much as anything.

“If you pull against him, it is faster he ends up going and Brian Gleeson (today’s M.C.) summed it up well, when he said ‘steered by...’!

“He is a big strong horse, so when he makes a mistake, he just gallops away from it. He is so hard on himself, but there is fire in his belly and he is a great servant for those races.”

Opening leg

Mullins had earlier landed the Listed T.A. Morris Memorial EBF Mares Chase with Pink In The Park (11/2), which caused an upset as her stablemate Allegorie De Vassy (1/3 favourite) disappointed in finishing fourth.

Home-bred by Jackie Mullins and carrying the colours of the Roaringwater Syndicate, Pink In The Park was held up in rear by Danny Mullins and, having challenged early in the home straight, scored by four lengths from Must Be Obeyed.

Jockey Mullins later reported “she took on the geldings the last day and, while we were disappointed, she ran a respectable fourth. That probably sharpened her, she jumped great across the top and battled well at the finish.

“I didn’t think I’d be beating Allegorie but you never know, especially with mares and these races can often throw up funny results. I won on her brother Mister Pink in Punchestown recently, they’re a good breed, so people could be lining up for the next one.”

Impulse overcomes disappointment

THE other chase on the card was a handicap and was won by Irish Impulse (20/1), which left some uninspiring form-figures behind to win for trainer Robert Tyner and owned by his wife, Mary Tyner.

Afterwards, the trainer was strong in praise for winning jockey Philip Enright and said: “I had a huge advantage having Philip, as he was worth a lot around there. He didn’t miss a beat, got a great run and hardly left ‘the paint’. He gave him a great ride.

“In Tramore, he didn’t jump well and they probably went a bit fast early on and he got taken out of his comfort zone. We were surprised that he ran disappointingly.

“Like all the horses, we’re hoping he’ll improve, so we’ll see how he goes. I bought him off Jim Mernagh in Tattersalls and he is an active, loose horse.”

Fortune favours the Brave

Racing began with the EBF Maiden Hurdle, which was won by useful winner Brave Fortune (1/1 favourite), for trainer Pat Doyle and ridden by his son Jack Doyle. Carrying the colours of Linda Mulcahy and Mary Wolridge, the five-year-old improved to lead at the second-last and scored readily from Lady Rose Hackett. Doyle senior stated: “I thought he was capable of doing that, but he has been disappointing. He appreciates the ground and, if the ground stays the way it is, we’ll look for the two-and-a-half-mile winners’ of one race at Thurles in the coming weeks.

“He is a lovely big horse, who cost a lot of money and we were always hoping he’d do something like that.”

Plains is chief

The Clonmel Oil Handicap Hurdle was won by Plains Indian (9/1), which made all to win easily under Cian Quirke, for trainer Andy Slattery and owner Eithne Thompson.

It was the chesnut gelding’s first run over hurdles since pulling up in last year’s renewal of the race and, with Slattery absent, his brother Willie Slattery later explained: “I suppose he was the class horse in the race, being a listed winner and I know he has been disappointing, but the ground was too soft for him all year.

“We think he is well-handicapped on the flat, but can’t get the ground for him. We’ll try for another 0-140 handicap now and he could either go to Cheltenham later this month or to Leopardstown over Christmas.”

O’Brien ‘Drops’ the Mic

GAMBLED Mic Drop (morning 18/1, returned 7/2) landed the concluding bumper for trainer David O’Brien, jockey Rob James and owner/breeder Peter Tarrant.

Racing with the leaders, the son of Soldier Of Fortune led five furlongs out and made the rest, scoring by two and a half lengths from Bold Passion.

Delighted O’Brien reported “he won his point-to-point, but was immature and backward and Rob said he has strengthened up well. He’ll go jumping now, he needs a trip and won his point-to-point on absolutely bottomless ground.”

He added: “Peter (Tarrant) is out of the country, but we said we’d have one more run in a bumper, while there was no Willie Mullins horse in it.

“This was lovely as, lord have mercy on Peter’s father, he was great to me and my father in his time, so it is great to see those colours back in the winner’s enclosure. Peter was patient with this horse and had an option to sell, but said he’d hold on to him to have some fun.

“His mother won five races for us, but was an inconsistent broodmare, although has a two-year-old half-brother by Order Of St George to come.”

The auction maiden hurdle was narrowly won by the Gavin Cromwell-trained Stuntman Steve (4/1), which beat Romany Brown by a head.

Carrying the colours of MWM Racing Syndicate and Declan MacMahon, point-to-point winner Stuntman Steve secured a better jump at the final flight than the runner-up and scored by a head.

Winning jockey Keith Donoghue commented “the final hurdle was the winning of the race and, thankfully, he came up for me. We have him six weeks and, while he hadn’t been away, we thought he was a nice horse, so thought he’d go close.

“He had won a point-to-point, but had more letters than numbers beside his name. Colin Bowe sent him up to us and it is good he won, as there is plenty to build on. There is a great prize money for these auction races and it is great for the owners, as some of them were unlucky with another horse we had.”