Albert Bartlett Novices Hurdle (Grade 1)

A TREMENDOUS meeting for Willie Mullins just kept getting better yesterday as the relatively unconsidered 18/1 chance The Nice Guy made it an opening race hat-trick for the man who has dominated this meeting like nobody else.

An eighth winner of the meeting for Mullins, who equalled his record tally from 2015, The Nice Guy lined up as the winner of all three of his previous starts.

Unknown

After landing a Naas maiden hurdle in good style in late January the Malcolm Denmark-owned seven-year-old was an intriguing and significant unknown but there is now little doubt as to his standing.

Sadly the race was marred by what a terrible injury to the second favourite, Ginto, who had improved to hold every chance off the last bend only to go wrong.

At this stage a patient Sean O’Keeffe, riding his second festival winner, had produced The Nice Guy to track his front-running stablemate Minella Cocooner.

The Mullins pair came to the last locked in combat but The Nice Guy just found another gear on the run-in and he scampered away to win by five lengths, while Bardenstown Lad posted a splendid effort for John McConnell to secure third.

“What a ride from Sean. He’s a very cool rider and he rode Galopin Des Champs to win here for me last year. He is going to go places and he’s someone who is going to go up the ranks I think,” remarked the trainer.

Creep around

“In terms of the race things didn’t go to plan. I told Sean to be in the first six or eight but he couldn’t go the pace and elected to drop in and creep around and it’s great to have jockeys who are happy to change when things aren’t going to plan. He didn’t rush him and get him out of his comfort zone which was important.

“The horse shows me nothing at home. Before he ran I was close to saying to Malcolm to say would we sell him but then he won first time out, won his second bumper and then his maiden hurdle and here he is today.”