WILLIE MULLINS began Punchestown 2010 the way he dominated last year’s festival, with Golden Silver the centrepiece of a memorable 779 to 1 Grade One hat-trick for Ireland’s champion trainer in the Boylesports.com Champion Chase.

Blackstairmountain’s earlier triumph in the Evening Herald Champion Novice Hurdle had proved the Mullins team were in form. But a 12 to 1 victory for Golden Silver indicated hopes they may yet emulate last year’s record 12-winner tally might not be so far-fetched, especially since Kempes then proceeded to land the Growise Champion Novice Chase.

Circumstances certainly seemed to favour Mullins and jockey Paul Townend in the Boylesports.com-sponsored race as the principal cross-channel hope Twist Magic refused to jump off and then the favourite, Sizing Europe, was forced to cut out his own pace.

“It was tough because our horse needs a pace, especially over two miles, and they crawled. All he does is gallop, not quicken, and we had to do all the donkey work,” said Sizing Europe’s trainer Henry De Bromhead afterwards.

In contrast Mullins’s instructions to Townend going out were to adopt more patient tactics than normal on Golden Silver whose previous apparent penchant for soft ground conditions didn’t hamper him at all on watered going that some jockeys described as “dead.”

With Blackstairmountain’s success boosting his confidence, Townend, who is favourite to be leading jockey this week on the back of Ruby Walsh’s absence through injury, always looked to be travelling like a winner.

Golden Silver’s stable companion, Scotsirish, had harried Sizing Europe at the front until a bad mistake at the second last but a slow jump at the last scuppered the favourite’s chance and it was left to the perennial runner-up, Forpadydeplasterer, to chase home the winner.

“He just keeps improving and the changed tactics seemed to work,” Mullins said. “We were afraid the ground was going to be too good. We thought he had class only on soft but he seems to be enjoying it more now and that class came through.”

Golden Silver’s victory was a timely boost for his owner, Mrs Violet O’Leary, whose brother died yesterday and he will now be put away with a campaign leading up to the Champion Chase at Cheltenham on his agenda next season.

Yesterday’s big race sponsors make him a 16 to 1 shot for that and they also decided to refund any bets on Twist Magic whose mulishness left trainer Paul Nicholls frustrated, although possibly not as frustrated as the Forpadydeplasterer team who finished second again.

“He ran a cracker and I said to the lads that I wouldn’t question his attitude – he’s as brave as a lion,” said jockey Barry Geraghty. “It was just that Aintree and Cheltenham have taken their toll.”

Mullins, however, had the look of a man for whom the festival pressure had lifted and he can now anticipate the rest of the week with three top prizes already in the bag. “After last year I didn’t think we would have anything like this so it’s a pleasant surprise,” he said. “I hope it lasts!”