'He has a massive engine' - Mighty Potter impresses in decisive Drinmore win

Sunday: Bar One Racing Drinmore Novice Chase, Fairyhouse

Mighty Potter was cut to 4-1 favourite (from 8-1) by Paddy Power for the Turners Novices' Chase at the Cheltenham Festival after going a long way towards proving himself a top-class novice chaser in landing the Grade 1 Drinmore.

Trainer Gordon Elliott left nothing on the subs' bench here in his attempt to win the race for the seventh time. He was also responsible for favourite Three Stripe Life, but a bad mistake halfway down the back straight led to rider Davy Russell losing his irons after performing heroics to keep the partnership intact. He was soon pulled up, but Elliott need not have worried, even if the way the race subsequently transpired gave him plenty of cause to.

Mighty Potter, having hit the front shortly after his stable companion exited proceedings, took off a stride early for Jack Kennedy at the fourth-last and almost came down. He also landed steeply at the third-last, but the manner in which he responded when runner-up Gaillard Du Mesnil came to challenge him between the last two fences was admirable.

A dual-Grade 1 winner as a novice hurdler last season, he just looks to be one of those horses who will improve over fences, and potentially the further he goes, the better.

Elliott said: "He was brilliant and Jack gave him a wonderful ride. He schooled him last Monday and I was happy to see the smile on his face after that, he didn't need to say anything.

"He's a very immature horse still, but he's a very good one. I wouldn't think he'll come back in distance, he is more likely to run at the intermediate trip, but we'll get him back home and see how he is. He looked good there.

"The runner-up was a second-season novice who was placed in an Irish Grand National and they were well clear of the third.

"He's just a good horse – even coming to the line he was having a look – and he has a massive engine."

Mighty Potter looks the part with another Grade 1 success in the DrinmoreCredit: Alan Crowhurst (Getty Images)

Willie Mullins was responsible for half of the ten-runner field, and Gaillard Du Mesnil was very much the best of them on his seasonal reappearance.

The French-bred was running for the first time since finishing third in the Irish National in April and travelled like a winner under Paul Townend until Mighty Potter picked up after the final fence.

Mullins said: "He ran great on his first run back for the season and we can look forward to plenty of improvement from him. The rain came at the right time."

Asked if he would be training him for the Grand National, Mullins replied: "No, we'll be going the Grade 1 route."

Second favourite Banbridge was a further 14 lengths back in third under JJ Slevin. Joseph O'Brien's assistant Brendan Powell said: "He is just not the same horse on that ground. He had one run on it in a bumper and finished out the back.

"If we'd had yesterday's ground he would have been thereabouts. He had a tough race today and still came back to have half a chance at the second-last."

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