He's behind you! Willie Mullins eats into Gordon Elliott's lead with four-timer

He might have been cruelly denied in the Savills Chase, but Willie Mullins didn't leave much else behind on the third day of Leopardstown's Christmas festival as he racked up another four winners.

Throw in another at Limerick and he has a running tally of 12 victories over the first three days of the festive period. Gordon Elliott went into Saturday with a lead of more than €350,000 in the trainers' championship, but that has been whittled down to just €81,500, and there is a sense of the traditional panto season cry of 'look out, he's behind you!' in the air.

Moreover, in Gaillard Du Mesnil, The Big Getaway and 2m bumper winner Ramillies, the Closutton maestro produced a serious candidate in each of the various divisions.

Gaillard Du Mesnil looks an exciting hurdling prospect after shedding his maiden tag in style at the second time of asking. Well beaten by Holymacapony on his stable debut at Navan, the French import made no mistake here, travelling smoothly throughout the 2m4f trip for Paul Townend before skipping clear of Mr Incredible.

Paddy Power reacted by slashing Gaillard Du Mesnil to 16-1 (from 40) for the Ballymore Novices' Hurdle at Cheltenham in March.

"I was very impressed with him," Mullins said of the four-year-old, whose options could include either the 2m or 2m6f Grade 1s at the Dublin Racing Festival.

"The jump he put in at the second-last showed how much he had in the tank. He looks like a nice middle-distance horse, so I'd imagine we'll stay at that sort of trip. He will settle better as he gets more racing – he was a bit keen with Paul – but he wasn't stopping at the end. He will go up in grade easily."

The Big Getaway also broke his chasing duck at the second attempt with a similarly bloodless turn under Townend in the 2m5f beginners' chase, jumping with aplomb throughout.

Returned the 4-5 favourite, he will likewise now be considered for the Flogas Novice Chase at the DRF, with the same firm cutting him to 14-1 (from 33) for the race formerly known as the RSA Chase.

“We'll look for a winners-of-one, but the way the programme is he'll probably have to go up in grade now, maybe back here at the Dublin Racing Festival," Mullins confirmed.

Dandy Mag and Paul Townend stay on dourly to take the Pertemps Network Handicap HurdleCredit: Patrick McCann (racingpost.com/photos)

Townend, whose decision to head to Limerick for a sole ride on Asterion Forlonge backfired miserably on Saturday, has been riding like a man possessed since. He plundered a second successive treble here to overtake Rachael Blackmore in the riders' championship, the pick of his efforts arguably a sublime turn aboard Dandy Mag in the the Pertemps Hurdle qualifier.

The champion jockey brought the 16-1 shot from another parish to swoop past The Bosses Oscar and Unexpected Depth en route to a decisive victory.

It was no mean training feat to boot, given Dandy Mag looked a busted flush in the second half of 2019 and failed to land a blow on his return from nearly a year off at Naas.

Burlesque a queen

Liz Doyle and 7lb claimer James O'Sullivan combined to take the 2m4f handicap hurdle with the game Burlesque Queen.

"I'm very proud of her," said a delighted Doyle. "She's very small, but the good pace really suited and James gave her a beautiful ride – he does get on well with her."

Ultimate Daily - our daily newsletters from Racing Post's experts, exclusive to the inbox of Ultimate Members' Club subscribers. To receive the newsletter subscribe at racingpost.com/members-club