Mystical Power enters Cheltenham reckoning after Punchestown success

Breeding doesn’t always beat feeding, but Mystical Power backed up the old saying when he maintained his unbeaten record in some style at Punchestown on Sunday.

On the weekend when Willie Mullins took over the lead at the top of the trainers’ championship, and with eight weeks to Cheltenham, Annie Power’s first foal suggested he may yet live up to his illustrious pedigree at the festival in March.

Winner of two relatively undistinguished races last summer, Mystical Power returned to action by sweeping from last to first to land the Grade Two Sky Bet Moscow Flyer Hurdle under jockey Mark Walsh.

It completed a graded race double for owner JP McManus, who’d earlier had his famous silks carried to success in the novice chase by Spillane’s Tower.

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The latter upset Mullins’s odds-on Blood Destiny and if Mystical Power’s status as a 5-4 favourite reflected both pedigree and connections, there was enough substance in his performance to have bookmakers installing him a new 6-1 market leader for Cheltenham’s Supreme Novices’ Hurdle.

Annie Power’s own festival story ranged from Stayers’ Hurdle defeat to Champion Hurdle glory in 2016, with in between a famous final flight fall in the Mares’ that reputedly saved bookmakers millions.

That Mystical Power’s ownership also includes Rich Ricci and Coolmore boss John Magnier underlines heady hopes surrounding the product of such a champion mare, as well as a legendary sire in Galileo.

It’s a cocktail that means the five-year-old has a mountain to climb in the ‘expectation stakes’ although the way he accelerated past Jigoro in the straight on Sunday suggests a significant talent in its own right.

“We gave him a break after he had his couple of runs in the summer and brought him back to see if he would handle a winter campaign.

“Mark rode him a couple of weeks ago and thought he had improved hugely from when he had rode him earlier in the year. He showed that today,” Mullins’s assistant David Casey reported.

Nevertheless, considering how the McManus team also has Jeriko Du Reponet at the top of the Supreme betting, and Mullins’s strength in depth means all kinds of permutations are open to him before the first festival race in March, ante-post prices might prove even more academic than usual.

“I know the camp have the second-favourite for the Supreme as well so they might want to split them up. But at the moment, until you have to, you wouldn’t go further [in trip], I think,” Casey added.

Blood Destiny failed to cope with a late thrust from Spillane’s Tower in the Grade Three Chase but the Mullins team were also on the mark with another odds-on shot in the maiden winner Lisnagar Fortune.

An unexpected cherry on top was how Idol, trained by Sam Curling but bred by a certain WP Mullins, subsequently justified market support in the Mares’ handicap hurdle.

All of it made previous predictions that Mullins might not inevitably pick up an 18th trainers’ title back at Punchestown in May look very premature indeed.

Gordon Elliott’s substantial prize money advantage as recently as St Stephen’s Day has evaporated within less than three weeks and Mullins is back in front with a haul to date of almost €3.5 million.

On top of Paddy Power glory for Meetingofthewaters at Christmas, Uncle Phil secured another big six-figure handicap at Fairyhouse on Saturday while Readin Tommy Wrong’s Grade One at Naas on Friday was a fifth top-flight success in little more than a fortnight.

Throw in how Elliott’s string now appears to be in a minor slump – he said on Saturday that 80 per cent of his runners ran below par – and Mullins is an unbackable 1-7 favourite to retain the title.

In contrast, Spillane’s Tower was a first Graded success in 11 years for Grand National winning trainer Jimmy Mangan. Walsh again used patient tactics to sweep past a flattering Blood Destiny from the last.

“It’s nice to see Jimmy with a nice horse and he jumped well, they went a good gallop and stayed well. You could only be pleased with him,” McManus’s racing manager, Frank Berry, said.

Mangan landed the 2003 Grand National with Monty’s Pass but this was his first Graded winner since Noras Fancy in January 2013.

Ahead of forecast freezing conditions, Punchestown will have to pass a 7.30 morning inspection ahead of Monday’s card but officials are hopeful of getting a green light.

“We are relatively optimistic. It will be the first night of frosts and talking to the Met Office they were talking about it getting down to minus two. The danger is it not getting much above freezing during the day. But based on the forecast, we are optimistic,” Punchestown’s spokesman, Richie Galway said.

There is also an 8.0am inspection for Britain’s sole jumping card on Monday at Hereford.

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