All eyes on Facile Vega's chasing debut - but can he become Willie Mullins' next novice star?

The likes of Douvan, Min and Vautour have all made a winning start to their illustrious careers over fences at Navan and Willie Mullins is set to unleash a prospect who many predict could match their glittering CVs as four-time Grade 1 winner Facile Vega makes his eagerly anticipated chase debut.

Given his dam Quevega's exploits, the six-year-old's talents were always going to be well vaunted before stepping on to a racecourse, but he has lived up to expectations on the track so far and finished off last season with a tremendous flourish when he blew his rivals away at Punchestown.

He was unrivalled in bumpers, landing all four starts, including a standout display in the Champion Bumper, in which he showed a devastating turn of foot to win by nearly four lengths.

Last season, after gliding stylishly clear on hurdles debut at Fairyhouse and making light work of two talented stablemates in Grade 1 company at Leopardstown, he was beginning to establish himself as being out of the ordinary.

However, his unblemished record was lost at the Dublin Racing Festival. Having raced keenly up with a ferocious pace throughout, Paul Townend began to twitch on the 4-9 shot on the turn for home, but he failed to pick up in his usual fashion and came home 20 lengths behind stablemate Il Etait Temps, whom he had beaten with little fuss six weeks earlier.

Such a lacklustre display would normally cause a horse to slide down the pecking order in the novice hurdle division but he had already confirmed himself something abnormal.

The conspicuous regard in which Mullins held him before the race was usually reserved for his truly sublime prospects and his faith was unwavering after his defeat.

Punters concurred, putting a line through the display and making him 9-4 favourite for the Supreme Novices' Hurdle. However, he was unable to fend off a strong challenge from Marine Nationale, finishing three and a quarter lengths behind him in second. The rematch over fences promises to be enthralling.

Willie Mullins: trainer of Facile VegaCredit: Patrick McCann

If we did not see the real Facile Vega at Leopardstown or Cheltenham, we certainly did at Punchestown, where he nonchalantly shrugged off a bad mistake three out, demonstrating his immense power by grabbing hold of the bridle straight away before tearing seven and a half lengths clear in the straight.

His brilliance was on display sporadically last season, but based on the vibes from the Mullins camp on his schooling at home, we could see Facile Vega at his best over fences and Ger O'Brien, one half of the Hammer & Trowel Syndicate who own Facile Vega, is understandably excited at the proposition.

O'Brien said: "It will be exciting to see what he can do over fences and, by all accounts, his schooling has gone well, so hopefully he can transfer that to the racecourse.

"He was very good on his final start last season at Punchestown and I thought he looked an absolute picture in the parade ring that day and he confirmed himself in fine fettle by winning well.

"It's hard to know whether he was in the same form at Cheltenham as he was at Punchestown, but he was beaten by a very good horse in the Supreme.

"It doesn't look like your standard beginners' chase! It looks like a Graded contest in all but name, and it certainly won't be easy pickings for any horse. I'm delighted that he's ready to rock now and we're really looking forward to it."

It does look a Graded novice chase in disguise, especially given Henry de Bromhead saddles another high-class prospect who has what it takes to go all the way over fences.

Inthepocket finished three lengths behind Facile Vega at Cheltenham before following up with a decisive victory in Grade 1 company at Aintree and De Bromhead has reported the six-year-old has been schooling well ahead of his first effort over fences.

He said: "He's in good form and has been schooling nicely. It looks a strong race but we'll get him started. He's a good horse in his own right, so we'll see how he gets on."

Facile Vega: always held in high regardCredit: Caroline Norris

Facile Vega: by those who know him best

Patrick Mullins in his pre-Cheltenham column for the Racing Post on March 15, 2022
It was impossible not to pick Facile Vega in the bumper. He's taken the eye all season at home and continued to improve throughout. He's a striking-looking beast and his performances have been explosive. I rode him in work at the Curragh last week, only the third time I've sat on him at home, and he blew me away.

Willie Mullins after his Champion Bumper win March 16, 2022
I've compared him to Florida Pearl, who was a very good bumper horse, and that's how highly we regard him. He'd be in the top percentage of our winners of this race. He's very easy to train and we just keep a lid on him all the time. He could stay at this trip or go over further, but we'll think about that once he's won a maiden hurdle. I don't know how good he is – he covers an awful lot of ground when he's galloping and has plenty of speed.

Willie Mullins after Facile Vega made a winning debut over hurdles at Fairyhouse on December 3, 2022
I was very happy with how he jumped, he hurdled like a handicapper. Paul was happy he was well within himself the whole way round. He was very slick for a horse having his first run over hurdles and making his own running. I don't know what happened at the third-last, but when Paul gave him a squeeze after jumping it he said that he just took off. It was very pleasing.

Willie Mullins in his 2022 stable tour
Over the past few years I haven't seen a horse I'm looking forward to as much as Facile Vega. Thankfully, he's been very sound, very good. He goes novice hurdling and with the turn of foot he showed in bumpers he'd be a Supreme horse. With his pedigree, he can go out to be a Ballymore horse. David Porter rides him out and I keep telling him not to let me work him too hard. If we just get all this conditioning work into him, he'll be fine, and we'll get him away over hurdles as soon as we get nice ground. His jumping is very good. Like his mother, he's a natural.

Willie Mullins in his 2023 stable tour
He's going novice chasing. He probably didn't do everything I thought he would do last season over hurdles. Some things just didn't go right for him during the season for one reason or another. He has come back from his summer break in great order, though, and looks in particularly good shape. We'll get him started over fences within the next month or so, and the way he gallops and jumps I think he's probably one for the minimum trip; he's an Arkle type of horse. There's plenty of stamina in his pedigree if he needed to go up in trip, but at the moment I'm thinking two miles for him.

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