'Blue Lord looks an Arkle horse' - Mullins adds second string to festival bow

Sunday: Naas

Is there a race meeting that goes by where Willie Mullins doesn't flex his muscles for the Cheltenham Festival?

The champion trainer did so again at Naas when Blue Lord confirmed himself a decent back-up for Ferny Hollow in the Arkle before Bronn made it a double on the day for the trainer and Paul Townend in the maiden hurdle.

Only three horses lined up for the two-mile novice chase but it wasn't as if Blue Lord was beating trees with chase winners Lifetime Ambition and Dancing On My Own following him home in that order.

Blue Lord was trimmed to a general 8-1 for the Arkle after his demolition job with Mullins revealing he would rather keep him away from Ferny Hollow before Cheltenham.

He said: “Blue Lord looks an Arkle horse. He galloped all the way to the line there. He’s run twice over fences now, so I’m not sure if he needs to run again before Cheltenham, but the Irish Arkle is an option. We also have Ferny Hollow for that and, if we can, we’d like to split them up.”

The maiden hurdle took a bit more winning. The stewards took a look into the shemozzle between the winner Bronn and the eventual third Flame Bearer.

Watch Bronn's victory

Townend did everything in his power not to let Jack Doyle up his inner and, although it didn’t look pretty, the stewards didn’t feel any rules were broken.

Mullins said: “To me, he [Doyle] had no business going up the inside. To do that manoeuvre you are supposed to be clear of the other horse to come back out.

“I don’t agree with having no rails but jockeys nowadays seem to want it that way. If there was a rail, there wouldn't have been a problem.”

He added: “Bronn is an out-and-out stayer. He was very green in front and the horse in front of him in the early stages of the race was green as well. It’s hard for a maiden hurdler to be following a horse like that. He needs to go out in trip. He gallops and is a strong stayer.”

Suitors circle Dancer

None of the leading jumps trainers were in a rush home after the bumper as a few notable faces had paid close attention to impressive winner Impulsive Dancer, trained by Richard O’Brien and ridden by Eoin O’Brien.

O’Brien may be best known for sending out winners on the Flat but a decision to keep Impulsive Dancer for the first four-year-old bumper of the year proved an inspired one.

He knew his job and pulled eight lengths clear of 13-8 favourite Douglas DC to put himself firmly in the shop window.

The trainer said: “We bought him as a yearling and we thought he might do something on the Flat. He didn’t really start showing anything until October and, when he did, we said we’d wait for this. He’s a lovely horse.”

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