The second and final day of the Dublin Racing Festival. Danny Mullins straddles Vischio, leg long, stirrups dangling as the full field of fillies and mares converge, merge and turn around in the opener, the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Paddy and Maureen Mullins Mares Handicap Hurdle. They huddle again, turn, wait, scrum, squirm again, mill around some more and away they go. Danny Mullins slides into his stirrups in strides.
And miles later, Vischio splits, slides and glides to a facile win. Making her 60th start, two months after fetching 52,000 Euros at the Goffs November Sale. Danny and Emmet Mullins win their family’s race. The sequoia of family trees.
“This was the plan…” Emmet Mullins said.
Mission accomplished.
And just the start.
Ballyburn and Impaire Et Passe clash in the Grade 1 Novice Chase. Kopek Des Bordes leads the Grade 1 Novice Hurdle. Gaelic Warrior and El Fabiolo square off in the Grade 1 Dublin Chase. And then we’ll see if Paul Townend chose the right horse in the Grade 1 Irish Champion Hurdle. The upstart mare Lossiemouth against the old guard State Man. And, yes, Willie Mullins trains all of those. And, no, none of them can match Galopin Des Champs tour de force in the Irish Gold Cup yesterday. You can say you saw him.
Enjoy the show.
