Willie Mullins has already made Auteuil a happy hunting ground but Paris's premier jumping track could take a real Mullins hammering this June if Asian Maze tries to continue her winning streak in the French Champion Hurdle.
Tom Mullins, younger brother of the former champion trainer, confirmed he is looking at the Grande Course de Haies d'Auteuil as a target for his remarkable mare after she completed a Grade One Aintree-Punchestown double for the second year running yesterday.
Asian Maze made all under Ruby Walsh to beat the 100 to 1 outsider Kerryhead Windfarm in the Whitewater Champion Stayers and significantly, the champion jockey's immediate reaction was to rule out running over marathon distances in future.
"She gives you everything but she is better over shorter distances like she won at in Aintree. I'd go shorter with her" Walsh said.
"She had had just about enough by the end today. It's only guts keeps her going." Bookmakers looked to take the hint and installed Asian Maze as low as 10 to 1 second favourite to dethrone Brave Inca in 2007. But she could have a different Champion Hurdle target before that.
"We will think about the French Champion and maybe the Queen Alexandra on the flat at Royal Ascot," said Mullins. "Ruby says she's not a staying mare and next season we could look at races like the Hattons Grace and those two mile races at Leopardstown."
Auteuil will always have bittersweet memories for the Mullins family after the death of the legendary Dawn Run in 1986. However, a pair of Champion Hurdle wins there for Willie with Nobody Told Me (2003) and Rule Supreme (2004) have eased the painful memory somewhat and he too is again looking at the race this summer with Tuesday's winner Missed That.
His younger brother, though, could present a bigger threat than anything trained at Chantilly as Asian Maze once more illustrated what a super mare she is at her best.
"She jumped really well today, better than Aintree, even though she did look to be feeling the pinch on the turn in," Tom said. "What we really want now is a good run with her, not like the interrupted season we've had this time."
His older brother is also planning another major French raid as Quatre Heures ran out an impressive eight length winner of yesterday's tote.ie Champion Juvenile Hurdle and will now be aimed at the French version, the Prix Alein Du Breil-Course de Haies.
Mick Fitzgerald took over from the injured David Casey and enjoyed an armchair ride after the winner's unlucky stable companion Mister Hight crashed out at the last.
"I will definitely look at France for both of them and maybe Clear Riposte too who ran a good race in fourth," said Mullins, notching his sixth winner of the week.
Fitzgerald consulted Quatre Heures's regular rider David Casey, who fractured a wrist in a fall on Wednesday, before the race and said: "He travelled real well, has a real engine and jumps like a gazelle. I feel very sorry for David who really fancied him."
The third Grade 1 of the day went to Accordion Etoile who was a bittersweet winner of the Swordlestown Cup Novice Chase for trainer Paul Nolan.
The young amateur Dary Cullen, killed in a fall at a Wexford point to point last Sunday, worked for Nolan who dedicated the victory to the young jockey.
"He has been making mistakes so we've schooled him over hurdles almost every day and he was very correct out there. The wheels are back on the bike," said Nolan whose charge is now a general 16 to 1 shot for next year's Champion Chase.
The runner-up Justified looked unlucky, though, as he had just regained the lead from Accordion Etoile when a bad mistake at the last almost unshipped Tony McCoy.
Casey missed out on another winner when One Four Shannon pounced late in the Pat Taaffe Handicap Chase to win under replacement jockey Philip Carberry who immediately notched up a long priced double with Roadmaker in the three-mile handicap hurdle.
John Cullen picked up a four- day ban for improper riding on board Colonel Monroe in the Pat Taaffe chase but it was worse news for Davy Russell who got a seven-day suspension for breaching the rules in weighing out for the race. He firstly attempted to weigh out with banned stirrup irons and then with an inadequate body protector.
Nina Carberry earned widespread praise for an inspired effort on board Good Step who landed a ninth successive La Touche Cup for the banks specialist Enda Bolger.
Yesterday's crowd figure of 19,189 was an increase of over 1,700 on the 2005 third-day figure. The bookmaker figure was up over €150,000 to €3,200,621. That included €681,864 on the Stayers Hurdle alone. The Tote turnover was down, however, for the third day running with a total of €863,145 over €120,000 lower than last year.
