CHAMPION trainer Willie Mullins had mixed fortunes in Cork’s featured Bar One Racing Hilly Way Chase on Sunday, as while his dual Champion Chase winner Energumene landed the Grade 2 prize, stablemate Ferny Hollow suffered a fatal fall in the race.

Mullins was represented by six of the eight runners for the day’s feature, with all eyes on the Tony Bloom-owned Energumene (5/4 favourite), which was returning from injury having previously raced at the 2023 Punchestown Festival, a 593 days’ break.

Showing his old ability under Paul Townend, the 10-year-old put in some enthusiastic leaps and with chasing top weight Banbridge unseating his rider at the final fence, the winner was left to come home 10 lengths ahead of runner-up Dinoblue, with Mullins’ Appreciate It and Blue Lord giving the trainer a ‘one-to-four’ clear sweep.

Mullins later reported: “That was a very exuberant display from him. I thought Dinoblue would make more of the running, but Paul (Townend) said his horse was just looking for fences to jump and wanted to go a better gallop, so he left him on instead of fighting him.

Galloped

“Hopefully, he can keep going that way and it was a nice performance to build on for the season. He didn’t look like he needed the run, galloped the whole way to the line.

“Normally, we skip Christmas (with Hilly Way Chase winners) and the Clarence House Chase was what we did previously, so we’ll see how he comes out of it before making any decision.”

Mullins’ Cheltenham festival winner Ferny Hollow had taken a heavy fall at the second-last in the race and was later reported to have died.

TRAINER Gavin Cromwell and jockey Sean Flanagan combined to win the Grade 2 Coolmore N.H. Irish EBF (Mares) Novice Chase with the Russells’ Only By Night (2/1), who scored impressively.

Previously successful on chase debut at Tipperary last month, Only By Night travelled well throughout Sunday’s race and won easily by three and three-quarter lengths from Nara.

Cromwell reported: “She was good in Tipperary and has built on that. I thought today was coming plenty soon, but with a race like this, you have to go for it. She is a very big mare, jumps very well and I’m looking forward to plenty more from her.

“The mares’ novice chase (Grade 2) at Thurles in January would look to be her next race.”

Small yard’s big win

There was a big win for a small yard in the Grade 3 Singletons Supervalu Stayers Novice Hurdle, as locally-trained Pray Tell (9/2) scored for handler Des Kenneally and jockey John Shinnick.

Shinnick produced the eight-year-old to lead at the last and on the run-in, held Minella Sixo by two and a half lengths.

Delighted Kenneally said: “That is brilliant and he never runs a bad race. I was confident coming here and this horse’s heart is unbelievable. It is lovely to train a horse like this and to win at my local track is mighty: to win a graded race is unbelievable, as I only train three horses and am farming.

“Training has gone more intense now as years ago, you could run them every second Sunday, but it has gone very competitive, so you have to have them right on the day.

“This is a good horse who would have been heard of years ago only for injury. Thankfully, things have been good for the last two years and, if this was another horse, he mightn’t be in my yard, but I know he is good.

“He’s in nearly 12 months, so he could do with a little break.”

RACING began with two Bar One Racing-sponsored maiden hurdles, with the opening juvenile race being won by the J.P. McManus-owned Puturhandstogether (4/1), for trainer Joseph O’Brien and jockey Mark Walsh.

Regarding the former winner on the flat, O’Brien said: “He had a nice run in Punchestown and jumped well today.

“He quickened up well, Mark was very happy with him, although he was green in front. He came on from his first run, so I hope he’ll improve again.

“His jumping was sharper, as he made a few little mistakes in Punchestown and was nice today. I haven’t really thought beyond today, but don’t think he’ll go into a graded race.”

Half an hour later, Sky Lord (5/2) landed the Bar One Racing Maiden Hurdle, for trainer Henry de Bromhead, jockey Darragh O’Keeffe and owner Basil Holian.

The winner raced prominently throughout and, in the end, held Kappa Jy Pyke by four and a quarter lengths.

De Bromhead reported: “He jumped well, Darragh was brilliant on him and I’m delighted for the Holians. He is a nice young horse, came to us highly thought of and ran well in a bumper last season.

“We’re lucky to have him, he is a gorgeous big horse, who has plenty of pace. I was worried he might be keen, but they went a nice gallop and he was good.

“We came to try and win our maiden hurdle, so that’s done now and we might look to one of those novice hurdles in January now, as Christmas will probably come too soon.”

Scored readily

One Big Boum (11/2) followed up on a recent Wexford success in the Bar One Racing Handicap Hurdle, as the Philip Fenton-trained gelding scored readily under jockey Brian Hayes.

Afterwards, Fenton commented: “The owners (Grey Stays Syndicate) are from Carrigtwohill and Midleton and we had a long wait with him, as he has had his problems.

“He ran here this time last year, when he cracked a bone in his knee and had an operation, so it was a slow process to come back. He went a bit right the last day at Wexford and went left today and he seems to idle when in front.”

The concluding Greenvalley Transport Novice Handicap Hurdle was won by a short-head by the Oliver McKiernan-trained, Philip Enright-partnered One And Only (8/1), which gained a belated first success.

The Keep The Faith Bloodstock’s gelding was scoring at the 16th attempt on the day, with Enright later reporting: “At the last hurdle down the back, he just reached a bit and landed out on his nose, but recovered well. He fell the last day and can land a little steep sometimes, but is usually a good jumper.

“We were all out at the line, so it was great we held on. He had been disappointing, as he is a well-bred horse, but hopefully can now get confidence and build on this.”