Gaelic Warrior put a lacklustre effort at the Dublin Racing Festival firmly behind him to win the Grade 1 Bowl at Aintree on Thursday.
Gaelic Warrior had been last season's highest-rated novice chaser with Timeform after posting a scintillating eight-and-a-half-length success in the Arkle over two miles, but he'd been below his best in two starts this season and missed the Cheltenham Festival.
Upped markedly in trip, and tackling three miles for the first time since winning a Grade 1 novice hurdle at the Punchestown Festival two years ago, Gaelic Warrior was ridden patiently by Patrick Mullins and delivered with his challenge on the approach to the final fence. He produced a much better jump than rival Grey Dawning to secure the advantage and he kept on well to score by three lengths. Stage Star, who cut out most of the running, was ten lengths back in third.
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Patrick Mullins, who revealed he was riding for the first time over fences around Aintree's Mildmay course, said: "I have a great soft spot for this fellow, he's not simple but he's got a huge engine, so I'm delighted I got a chance on him again.
"Some days things go wrong and it unsettles him, but today it went lovely. He settled great, jumped really well and is just very good."
'We all know he has the class'
Trainer Willie Mullins said: “It’s great that Patrick got on him. I thought Paul [Townend] would ride him, but he chose Embassy Gardens.
“His main target was to get him round in one piece, and then if he was able to do that we all know he has the class. I’d been a little disappointed in his two previous runs, when he just didn’t fire, but he’d run well enough at Leopardstown and we thought he’d be better for it, but then he just wasn’t right for Cheltenham.
“I thought if I didn’t run him here I’d have to wait until Punchestown, so I thought we may as well run him here to get a race into him anyhow, so he’s done a bit more than that. I don’t think Patrick needs any confidence before Saturday, when he rides Nick Rockett [in the Grand National], but it’s great for him to have a big success, and it’s great too for the Riccis, who have had a tough season, although they had a winner at Cheltenham with Lossiemouth."
Harry Skelton struck the front aboard Grey Dawning, the 9/4 favourite, on the long run between the final two fences, but his mount hadn't jumped or travelled as fluently as is sometimes the case and the rider didn't feel a sticky leap at the last made the difference.
He said: "I think Patrick was always coming, I could hear the commentator. I was never that happy today, maybe the ground was just a bit too good for him. But the ground is what it is and we'll be back."
Gaelic Warrior, an 11/4 shot, was a third Grade 1 winner on the day for Willie Mullins after victories for Impaire et Passe in the Manifesto Novices' Chase and Murcia in the 4-Y-O Juvenile Hurdle. Mullins made it a top-level four-timer when Lossiemouth took advantage of Constitution Hill's fall to win the Aintree Hurdle.
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