WILLIE Mullins won five of seven races at Thurles on Thursday where the champion trainer landed the feature Listed Make Your Best Bet At BetVictor Chase and unleashed four other promising winners at maiden level.

Mullins ran four horses in the main event over two miles and six furlongs and won with Classic Getaway (15/2, for owners Cheveley Park Stud), who made all and jumped well under Danny Mullins to beat stablemate Haut En Couleurs by five and a half lengths.

The runner-up was dismounted on pulling up and was subsequently reported to be lame post-race.

Mullins wasn’t present at the fixture but his nephew jockey Danny Mullins reported: “If you look at Classic Getaway’s form it reads very well and he turned over a hotpot this time last year at Gowran. He missed most of the season and came back to run with credit at Punchestown.

“We were hoping he could do something like that and he always promised but is thankfully starting to deliver. His jumping is so good and he probably wasn’t getting that advantage over hurdles.

“We took a few nice scalps there and hopefully it is on towards Christmas now and find another spot for him.”

Racing began with the Download The BetVictor App Beginners Chase with Mullins’ Il Etait Temps (8/15 favourite) shedding his fences maiden tag at the first time of asking with a smart performance under Paul Townend, for owners the Hollywood Syndicate and Barnane Stud.

Keen-going, Il Etait Temps jumped well and comfortably beat stablemate Ho My Lord, who shaped well also, by four and a half lengths.

“He was very manageable which was a pleasant surprise and he has a lot more respect for fences than hurdles,” Townend said. “He used to bring a hurdle with him but I thought he jumped brilliantly on the whole today.

“He is more professional and has more options over fences because he is maturing. He had been a difficult ride over hurdles so your hands were tied but you can do what you want with him over fences.

“Hopefully he will be an Arkle (Chase) type - we went at a good strong pace, he has a good cruising speed and stays too.”

ALL three maiden hurdles were also won by Mullins, beginning with the Roaringwater Syndicate’s Lombron (2/1 favourite) in the Sign Up To GavinLynchRacing.com-sponsored four-year-olds version by three and a half lengths from Paradise Lost.

Afterwards Townend said: “It was very straightforward and he settled well. The others had had runs already this year so, on the flat, I was conscious not to do too much with him and his jumping put him back into the race.

“He will come on from the run as you wouldn’t count the ribs on him today. He has a lot of natural ability. He can definitely go up in trip and will handle softer ground as well.”

Thirty five minutes later Fun Fun Fun (3/10 favourite, for owners Simon Munir and Isaac Souede) landed the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Mares Maiden Hurdle, making all under her trainer’s son, breeder and jockey Patrick Mullins.

The winner set off at a brisk pace, settling in front, and won by seven and a half lengths from Sansrisk.

Patrick Mullins reported: “She jumped brilliantly and her pedigree is all three-mile chasers. The way she jumped she can stay at two miles, and she’s keen, so likes to get on with things. We might come back here for a mares’ novice hurdle at the end of the month but that might be too soon.

“She was definitely better than she was at settling - when I rode her in Punchestown, it was like her tail was on fire, but maybe that was the end of a long season. I think the hurdles will help, and I think she could jump a fence in time if the owners want to.”

Mullins, who bred and raced the mare in his own colours when winning Sligo debut last October, added: “I lost a Doctor Dino brother during the year but have a Doctor Dino sister and a Jukebox Jury sister.

“We bought the mare privately because she was a sister to Yorkhill who, at the time, we thought was going to win the Champion Hurdle, the Gold Cup and the Ryanair, and I think he only won one race after we bought her. We bought her in-foal to Martaline and that was a gift.”

Well-backed Daddy Long Legs (11/8 favourite) completed Willie Mullins’ five-timer in the Killinan Maiden Hurdle, winning impressively for owner Joe Donnelly and providing jockey Paul Townend with a personal treble.

Runner-up in a French flat race on his previous start, the son of Almanzor produced a taking effort to win on jumps debut, travelling well throughout to easily beat Gigginstown’s race-fit point-to-pointer Cleatus Poolaw by 13 lengths.

Townend reported: “He was smart and quickened well for a horse who ran over a mile and a half in France and I thought he justified a big price tag.

“What his future is I don’t know but he couldn’t have done any more than turn up and win the way he did. I hadn’t sat on him a whole lot at home but he had been working well and from the first day I schooled him he was a natural to jump.

“He is a fine horse, won like we hoped he would and he would justify being in the Grade 1 novice hurdle at Leopardstown over Christmas. After that we’ll learn more.”

PHILIP Rothwell landed the concluding Horse & Jockey Handicap Hurdle with well-fancied Woodstream Lad (13/2), who scored on debut for the Wicklow trainer.

Ridden by Phidelma Elvin, the six-year-old was produced from mid-field to lead and go clear entering the straight, holding Herculaneum by seven and a half lengths.

Rothwell reported: “The form of his Sligo race worked out well and Phidelma rides him out and works hard with him at home so I promised her the spin on him. It has worked out really well, I fancied him big-time and told her to kick on when she did.”

Willie Mullins had no runners in either of the two races he didn’t win, with his championship rival Gordon Elliott bagging the Racing Again December 17 Handicap Chase as Reddys Island (6/4 favourite) scored for owner Francis Mangan and jockey Jack Kennedy.

It was championship-leader Kennedy’s 70th success of the season and he later reported: “The fences being omitted at Down Royal didn’t help her and it was the same again today as she was caught flat-footed. It actually worked out grand though as I wouldn’t have liked to be in front any longer on her.”