'Excellent example of aggressive front-running' in Relkeel Hurdle at Cheltenham
Leighton Aspell salutes a tactical masterclass on Stormy Ireland
After all the plaudits Danny Mullins received for patient hold-up rides at Kempton over Christmas, this was a fine advertisement for his ability to time things on the front end.
His knowledge of Stormy Ireland and his confidence in her after a comeback run in the Hatton's Grace Hurdle at Fairyhouse would have equipped him with a strong belief that he could put together a plan to win.
He set off almost at two-mile pace with sub-15-second fractions, which immediately put his rivals in a dilemma: should they try to keep tabs with a pace that may be too fast? Dare they let her go, when there's every chance a Willie Mullins-trained runner could maintain that gallop?
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