A round-up of the rest of the action on day two of Leopardstown's Dublin Racing Festival as Total Recall won well back over hurdles.
Total confidence
The 'good thing' of the meeting obliged as Total Recall won the William Fry Handicap Hurdle.
Despite a huge field, Willie Mullins' charge was sent off the 5/6 favourite, having won the Ladbrokes Trophy over fences last time out.
Running off a mark some 31lb lover over hurdles than his chase rating, many expected him to win - but not much went right during the race.
He was ultra-keen on the way round for Paul Townend, lost a shoe, and also had to make his own running for much of the race. Despite using so much energy, Total Recall was still able to pull away after the last and beat Oscar Knight by three lengths.
Mullins said: "He was too keen and we didn't expect that. We were going to drop him in the middle of them and hunt away and try and win it over the last two hurdles but the horse took control after three or four hurdles and that was it.
"Paul just had to sit and suffer in front and hope that there would be something left in the tank, and there was plenty left in the tank. Total Recall did it very well in the end."
Townend said: "He pulled hard but I never thought we'd go that slow. I was hopeful and he looked well in off his chase mark, so it's nice when it works out as it doesn't always."
All' right for Harrington
Alletrix - in the colours of champion chaser Special Tiara - landed decent support to justify 4/1 favouritism in the opening Irish Stallion Farms EBF Paddy Mullins Mares Handicap Hurdle.
Ridden by Robbie Power and trained by the in-form Jessica Harrington, the five-year-old made a mistake at the final flight but was in total command at the time and came home clear of the staying-on Barra, with Contingency edging out Phil Kirby's British challenger Lady Buttons on the line for third.
Alletrix was franking the form of a Willie Mullins-trained Cheltenham Festival hope after being well beaten by Laurina in a Fairyhouse Grade Three last month. Laurina is a 7/4 chance with Sky Bet (NRNB) for the Mares' Novices' Hurdle at the Festival in March.
Harrington said: "I suppose the handicapper was right. She was in here and when I saw she got 125 for her next handicap this was such a big pot and there is not a lot of her so the light weight helped.
"The bit of rain that fell (on Saturday night) helped also and she jumped like a buck, except at the last. She is learning and is not going near Cheltenham but will go for a mares' hurdle at Limerick and then the mares' race at the Fairyhouse Easter Festival."
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