On the first race meeting since the funeral of Maureen Mullins, and at the racecourse she was so synonymous with having cut the tape on a brand new weigh room only last month, Saint Sam was a most fitting winner of the feature Grade 2 Red Mills Chase at Gowran Park.

The seven-year-old, trained by Maureen’s son Willie, was having his first run in 159 days, but he has a good record when running fresh, and he had no problems with a pillar-to-post success in this two-and-a-half-mile contest. Turning in, his main market rival Riviere D’etel looked a threat but she couldn’t get close enough to land a blow, with Paul Townend’s mount easing away for an eight-and-a-half-length success.

“I think Granny would have enjoyed that, it’s a pity not to have her here in the picture,” Patrick Mullins reflected. “It was a great performance and the owners Ed and Mary Ware are over to see it. It’s always great to win the Red Mills Chase - it’s one of the races we pinpoint at the start of the year.

“A small field suits him, he likes to get on with things, he wears the hood and he's a good jumper. He is hot and we were worried that this being his first run, he’d be fresh and do too much on that ground. Paul got a couple of breeders into him and the small field races suit him down to the ground.”

The winner was just touched off in the 2021 Boodles Juvenile Handicap Hurdle but he has no entry at the Cheltenham Festival next month. Asked if he could get a chance at Grade 1 level at one of the spring festivals, Mullins said: “Possibly. I think those Grade 2 and Grade 3 races are where he is most comfortable. The Devenish Chase at Fairyhouse, that’s two and a half miles, and that could suit him. We’ve won that with Easy Game for the last couple of years and he could be a similar type to Easy Game.

“I think he’s a better chaser than he is hurdler but he loves jumping. He’s not the biggest, but the Saint Des Saints, they are always great jumpers.”

Riviere D'etel ran well in defeat, especially if she was feeling any effect from a quick reapperance having run at Naas last weekend. She is likely still on target for the Mares Chase though she did jump markedly to her right on occasions here.

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