Honeysuckle and Rachael Blackmore extend remarkable winning run to 16

The eight-year-old mare – who also won a point-to-point in her youth - has carried all before her in the hurdling division over the past three seasons and for the second year in succession supplemented her Grade One victories at Fairyhouse, Leopardstown and Cheltenham earlier in the campaign with a ready success on day four of the Punchestown Festival.

Trained by Henry De Bromhead for owner Kenny Alexander, the daughter of Sulamani was once again ridden by Rachael Blackmore, who had a good gallop to chase thanks to Saint Roi and Adagio who took the six-runner field along through the early stages.

Honeysuckle closed up to Saint Roi on the approach to the third-last and was asked to quicken on touching down after two-out. The favourite took it up on the home bend and powered down to the last which she flew with ease, edging to the left slightly but barely touching the obstacle.

Echoes In Rain fought on gallantly in behind to take second, ahead of Darasso and front-runner Saint Roi, but the race was all about winner Honeysuckle who scored by three lengths at odds of 1/5.

Thoughts now turn to next year’s campaign and a potential clash with Nicky Henderson’s unbeaten novice Constitution Hill, with Paddy Power leaving the British raider as their 2/1 favourite and three-time winner Honeysuckle a 7/2 chance. Sky Bet make the mare a 3/1 shot behind 2/1 Constitution Hill.

Friday's two-mile contest also saw retiring jockey Robbie Power bow out aboard one of the also-rans - the Gordon Elliott-trained Teahupoo.

Power received a warm reception from racegoers as he made his way back to the unsaddling area before Honeysuckle sent punters wild after returning to the winner’s enclosure to deserved acclaim.

Blackmore said: “She’s incredibly talented, I’m so lucky to be on her back. We’re all lucky to be part of what she is, she’s a phenomenally talented mare. She always does what she has to do, and that’s an incredible feat in any horse.

“As a jockey you dream of getting on a good horse, that’s what every jockey wants – you can’t achieve on the big days without that. But she takes it to another level – she blows good horses out of the water. I’m very lucky to ride her.

“Henry does some job with her producing her like this every single day. She was brilliant. It’s a good team at home that makes these days so good and it’s important to have that.

“When we turned in, I did have to ask her for that gear and she found it and away we went. She just does what she has to. I can always feel when there is something coming because she can sense it too and she kicks on.

“It (the reception) was magic.”

De Bromhead said: “I got a bit nervous turning, because when you see Paul (Townend) and Willie (Mullins) lurking away behind you, it’s always a worry. But she was brilliant – she just gets it done.

“They went a good gallop, and everything went well. I thought she jumped really well. She came up out of Rachael’s hands at the third-last and we all know what can happen but, touch wood, she’s just so accurate and Rachael’s so good on her. She just doesn’t interfere at all, really.

“She’s so straightforward and they’re a lethal combination the pair of them. Rachael was brilliant on her. There’s a lot of pressure going out on her these days, but it’s not a bother to Rachael.

“The fairytale continues is the easiest way to put it. It’s ridiculous.”

On being nervous, he admitted: “Yeah, I am. There’s the unbeaten record, and you want to do it for everybody. There’s such a will for her to win. I said it at Cheltenham, if will helped you win races she’d have won by the length of the straight because anyone I met was wishing us good luck.

“I’m so negative, I’m always waiting for something bad to happen, but it’s amazing and I’m so lucky to have her.

“She’s got such great support, it’s brilliant. Hopefully everyone gets as much a kick out of it as we do.”

State enters Champion picture

State Man was given quotes of 8/1 (from 14/1) by Paddy Power and Betfair after coping admirably with the rise to Grade One level in the Alanna Homes Champion Novice Hurdle.

The Willie Mullins-trained County Hurdle hero was taking on the likes of Aintree winner Three Stripe Life and stablemate Kilcruit but was the choice of Paul Townend and travelled well in behind runners on the first circuit.

Front-runner Kilcruit was coming to the end of his tether two flights from the finish, with Flame Bearer looking a big threat but 11/10 favourite State Man found another gear on the run to the last and skipped away to score by seven lengths, ahead of 8/1 shot Flame Bearer and Three Stripe Life (11/4) back in third.

Mullins said: “Paul thought he had lots of speed and he showed lots of gears there.

“He’s a horse to look forward to next season. With a performance like that he could be a Champion Hurdle horse – that is probably the route we will go down.

“He’s very novicey and improving all the time. Paul said he was concentrating on keeping him settled and when he picked him up he switched gears. He was only going through the motions after that.

“From the first time we worked him at home he looked decent.

“Joe and Marie (Donnelly) have also purchased his four-year-old brother before Cheltenham.”

Rest of the meeting

Joseph O’Brien’s Scarlet And Dove reversed Cheltenham Festival form with the Mullins-trained Elimay in the Hanlon Concrete Irish EBF Glencarraig Lady Francis Flood Mares’ Chase.

Elimay was the 8/11 favourite to supplement her victory in the Mares’ Chase at Prestbury Park, a race in which Scarlet And Dove was beaten just half a length into third place.

The pair had this Grade Two contest between them a long way from home and it was 3/1 shot Scarlet And Dove who asserted from the home turn to score by 15 lengths under Bryan Cooper.

O’Brien said: “She ran really well in Cheltenham where she missed the last two fences and was still close to Elimay. We weren’t sure we’d beat her today, but thought we’d give her a good run for her money.

“I suppose winning a Grade One would be the main objective next season. She’s a Grade Two winner and a big mare so there is no reason why she can’t be even better next year.”

Mullins had earlier landed the EMS Copiers Novice Handicap Chase for the fourth year in succession with El Barra (8/1).

Kemboy, Real Steel and Asterion Forlonge had won the last three runnings before going on to bigger and better things, and El Barra added her name on the roll of honour with a six-length verdict under top conditional Jack Foley.

Mullins said: “It was a very polished ride. I think I’m going to use him as my driver. He found his way around all the traffic there and I got held up in traffic and only saw the end of it!

“Jack is a very good young rider. He started off with my brother Tom and we saw how good he was. We invited him to ride some of our horses and he’s champion conditional this year, which is fantastic for him.”

The champion trainer went on to saddle a four-timer on the afternoon thanks to the victories of Billaway and El Fabiolo.

Billaway supplemented his Cheltenham Festival success by landing the Irish Daily Star Champion Hunters Chase under Patrick Mullins.

There was little to choose between the 11/8 shot and even-money favourite Vaucelet approaching the final fence, but a mistake from the latter proved crucial to Billaway’s one-and-a-quarter-length win.

Mullins, saddling his 200th winner of the season in Ireland, said: “When push came to shove twice, at Cheltenham and here today, he pulled it out. He just keeps so much for himself in the locker and Patrick knows that. He’s a brave horse.”

Having been beaten a neck by Jonbon in a Grade One at Aintree three weeks ago, El Fabiolo looked the class act in the SalesSense International Novice Hurdle and so it proved, with the Townend-ridden 8/13 favourite accounting for stablemate Ha D’or by four lengths (replay below).

Mullins said: “He’s a lovely horse, a real chaser in the making. He had a hard race in Aintree so to come back from that and put in a battling finish like he did there was very good.

“I’d imagine we will look forward to going chasing with him. He’s a big tall horse and is only learning how to race.”

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