Paul Townend’s choice of Blood Destiny in Sunday’s Thurles feature will be enough for many to row in behind the Willie Mullins runner.
The champion jockey had a quartet of Mullins horses to pick from in the Grade Two Horse & Jockey Hotel Chase and settled on the one that has yet to race this season.
Blood Destiny hasn’t been seen in action since a disappointing effort at the Punchestown Festival last spring after which he was found to be coughing.
Prior to that, though, he had been trading punches with no less than Spillane’s Tower and beat him in the second of their three clashes.
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That was over two miles in the Flyingbolt at Navan, although Blood Destiny also has winning form over further, including when beating a very decent type in Heart Wood. Crucially, he also has a fine record of scoring first time up.
With 10 runners, this is a very different edition of a race, still widely referred to as the Kinloch Brae, compared to when Allaho and Townend mopped it up three times.
Other notable Kinloch Brae winners include Sizing John (2017) and Don Cossack (2016), who both used it as a springboard to Gold Cup glory at Cheltenham. This time, Gordon Elliott runs both Fil Dor and the veteran Delta Work.
Mullins also has four in Sunday’s other Grade Two, the Carey Glass Mares’ Chase, although it’s Gavin Cromwell’s Only By Night that looks to set the standard. She was ultra-impressive when scoring at Cork last time where she had far too much finishing boot at the end.
Nara was runner-up then and only enjoys a 5lb swing. However, that Cork effort suggests an extra half-mile should suit well and potentially help her bridge the gap.
Townend goes into Sunday’s action once more on top of the jockeys’ championship with 67 winners and close to €1.2 million in prize money in Ireland. He is operating on a 34 per cent strike rate.
Inn At The Park can help boost that even further in an earlier novice hurdle where Sporting Glory looks the danger.
Energumene and Kargese at Ascot will occupy Townend’s attention on Saturday, although the Mullins team will still be busy at home in Navan including when another quartet from the yard line up for a Beginners’ Chase.
This race was won by Minella Cocooner a year ago, and no less than Minella Indo in 20220. Olympic Man needs to brush up his jumping but wasn’t far off his stable companion Dancing City at Punchestown last month.
Considering he cost JP McManus a hefty €335,000, possibly more was expected of Kainsbourg when he made his Irish debut at Limerick over Christmas. He did, however, run into a decent type in Laafi and that experience should help him step up now in another maiden.
Thecompanysergeant has a first start for Gavin Cromwell in the €45,000 handicap hurdle and might be able to exploit his lower mark over flights compared to fences.
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