'He's the exact opposite of a morning glory' - Willie Mullins on The Nice Guy

Wednesday: Irish Mirror Novice Hurdle, Punchestown

It remains one of the great oddities in racing that horses who work like Ferraris on the gallops sometimes race as if they've been fitted with a Nissan Micra engine when they grace the track.

The Nice Guy is no Micra, but that’s not to say anyone in Willie Mullins’ yard could predict what was lurking underneath the bonnet, and in stretching his unbeaten record to five and notching his second Grade 1 at Punchestown, he confirmed himself the polar opposite of a morning glory.

Watch The Nice Guy land the Irish Mirror Novice Hurdle

The ultimate overachiever followed up on his Albert Bartlett success by leading home a Mullins-trained one-two, with Minella Cocooner following home The Nice Guy, who was galloping in the hoofprints of last year’s winner Galopin Des Champs.

Paul Townend elected to switch out wide of his stablemate turning into the straight and, despite idling slightly in the finish, the money never looked likely to go astray on the 15-8 favourite.

“I don't think anyone in our yard would have backed him or fancied him at any stage of his career, and he keeps on surprising us,” Mullins said.

“Every day he comes out, he just keeps producing more, and it's great to have a horse like that, one who does it in the afternoon.”

Mullins added: “He has achieved a lot in a short space of time and we didn’t have much respect at all for him at home on his homework. We said we better run him in a bumper as he’d been in training an awful long time and he literally shows us nothing at home.

Willie Mullins: 'He’s a unique specimen in his own way'Credit: Edward Whitaker

“It’s amazing. Even to look at him, there’s not a lot of condition on him and he’s a very light-framed horse. He doesn’t carry much condition or take much training.

"He’s a unique specimen in his own way. He’s the exact opposite of a morning glory. He does it in the afternoon, which is tremendous.”

The Nice Guy may not have graced the track until the age of six but he has made up for lost time this season and, carrying the colours of Malcolm Denmark, whose Next Destination won the race for Mullins in 2018, he sparked dreams of a top-notch novice-chase campaign.

Mullins reflected: “They did a good job watering last night and I was just a bit afraid that the two of them were going a bit quick up front. I knew Danny would be pulling Minella Cocooner back and steadying the pace.

“I was a little surprised that Paul went wide when a gap appeared at the second-last, but he said that he didn't want to get caught on the inside going around the final bend.

"That's why he took that position there. He came wide and, I know Danny's horse was coming back at the line, but The Nice Guy was just idling in front.”

He added: “Both of them will go chasing next year but we'll look at sending them out to a summer's grass first.”

Read more from Punchestown:

'He's a monster' - Allaho storms to emphatic Punchestown Gold Cup win

He destroyed them at Punchestown - but can Allaho win a Cheltenham Gold Cup?

Henry de Bromhead: 'I'm annoyed at myself for running Bob Olinger - I don't know what the issue is'

Watch live races through the Racing Post. Log in to your bookmaker account and look on the racecards for eligible races. Click the red 'Watch live now' icon and they're off! Find out how here