Townend hails 'special' Energumene as top novice makes up for Cheltenham absence

Energumene bids to cement his status as the king of the two-mile chasers by securing back-to-back victories in the William Hill Champion Chase on today's opening meeting of the Punchestown Festival. The nine-year-old provided Willie Mullins with a first win in the Queen Mother Champion Chase at Cheltenham last season before putting the seal on his…

He won. That is about the biggest compliment you could pay Energumene after he uncharacteristically clattered a couple of fences on the way to scrambling home by three-quarters of a length from an ageing stablemate in Chacun Pour Soi whose best days were supposed to be long gone. It wasn't pretty, but he won. Winning is what great horses do. Even…

Energumene bids to cement his status as the king of the two-mile division over fences by securing back-to-back victories in the William Hill Champion Chase on the opening day of the Punchestown Festival. The nine-year-old provided Willie Mullins with a first victory in the Queen Mother Champion Chase at Cheltenham last season before putting the…

Douvan was completely dominant on his first 13 starts after joining Willie Mullins, leaving observers in no doubt of his talent. Douvan won five Grade 1s during his novice chase campaign, including three at the major spring festivals at Cheltenham, Aintree and Punchestown, and he proved better than ever the following season, achieving a career-high…

Blue Lord and Facile Vega recorded Grade One wins at Leopardstown for Willie Mullins on an afternoon when the perennial champion trainer saddled a six-timer at the Dublin circuit. Mullins said: "It's been an extraordinary day. Our planning department at home deserves all the credit for this, putting the horses in the right races and having them…

Blue Lord emerged as a potential threat to Queen Mother Champion Chase-winning stablemate Energumene following an impressive success in the Paddy's Rewards Club Chase at Leopardstown. The seven-year-old was in the top rank of novice chasers last season for Willie Mullins, with Grade One wins at Leopardstown and Punchestown sandwiching a third place…

Blue Lord emerged as a potential threat to Queen Mother Champion Chase-winning stablemate Energumene following an impressive success in the Paddy's Rewards Club Chase at Leopardstown. The seven-year-old was in the top rank of novice chasers last season for Willie Mullins, with Grade One wins at Leopardstown and Punchestown sandwiching a third place…

Willie Mullins was once again fulsome in his praise of Facile Vega after seeing his star youngster stamp his class on the Paddy Power Future Champions Novice Hurdle at Leopardstown. he outstanding performer in the bumper sphere last season with wins at the Dublin Racing Festival, the Cheltenham Festival and the Punchestown Festival, the…

Chacun Pour Soi bids to prove he is still a force to be reckoned with in the two-mile division in the Paddy's Rewards Club Chase at Leopardstown today. The Rich and Susannah Ricci-owned gelding has won six times at the highest level, with four of those victories secured at Leopardstown - including in this race in 2020. His most recent triumph came…

Blue Lord emerged as a potential threat to Queen Mother Champion Chase-winning stablemate Energumene following an impressive success in the Paddy's Rewards Club Chase at Leopardstown. The seven-year-old was in the top rank of novice chasers last season for Willie Mullins, with Grade One wins at Leopardstown and Punchestown sandwiching a third place…

Blue Lord emerged as a potential threat to Betway Queen Mother Champion Chase-winning stablemate Energumene following an impressive success in the Paddy's Rewards Club Chase at Leopardstown. The seven-year-old was in the top rank of novice chasers last season for Willie Mullins, with Grade One wins at Leopardstown and Punchestown sandwiching a…

The seven-year-old was in the top rank of novice chasers last season for Mullins and won by 11 lengths at 2-1 from Captain Guinness (7-1). Race favourite Chacun Pour Soi (6-4) came third after a mistake at the second fence from home. Mullins saddled a six-timer at combined odds of 102-1. Tekao, Dysart Dynamo, Facile Vega, Winter Fog and Fact To…

2022-12-27Blue Lord'looks like he could be a Champion Chase horse', says Willie Mullins The seven-year-old was in the top rank of novice chasers last season for Willie Mullins, with Grade One wins at Leopardstown and Punchestown sandwiching a third place in the Arkle at Cheltenham. Having made a successful reappearance in last month's Clonmel Oil…

Blue Lord emerged as a potential threat to Queen Mother Champion Chase-winning stablemate Energumene following an impressive success in the Paddy's Rewards Club Chase at Leopardstown. The seven-year-old was in the top rank of novice chasers last season for Willie Mullins, with Grade One wins at Leopardstown and Punchestown sandwiching a third place…

Chacun Pour Soi bids to prove he is still a force to be reckoned with in the two-mile division in the Paddy's Rewards Club Chase at Leopardstown on Tuesday. The Rich and Susannah Ricci-owned gelding has won six times at the highest level, with four of those victories secured at Leopardstown - including in this race in 2020. His most recent triumph…

Henry de Bromhead once again saddled the first two in the Cheltenham Gold Cup, but the principals from 2021 finished the other way round this time and A Plus Tard (Timeform rating c178) was a much more decisive winner than Minella Indo (c165+) had been when beating him the year before, storming up the run-in to a 15-length success while his…

The 4-7 favourite had eight and a half lengths to spare over Chacun Pour Soi at the finishing line, with Envoi Allen third and Captain Guinness fourth. "He jumped great. It was a good race and we came out on the right side of it," said winning jockey Townend. "We rode the race we wanted and it was good enough to come out on top." Having provided…

Paul Townend admitted before the Champion Chase that picking between Chacun Pour Soi and Energumene was one of the toughest calls he has ever had to make. He got it right, so he was never going to change his mind for the rematch. The Energumene we used to know was enthusiastic and exuberant. He wore his heart on his sleeve and got on with things.…

Chacun Pour Soi: will be ridden by Patrick Mullins in the William Hill Champion Chase at Punchestown on Tuesday The blockbuster showdown between Chacun Pour Soi and Energumene in the William Hill Champion Chase (5.25) at Punchestown on Tuesday has Patrick Mullins bubbling with excitement as he looks forward to being reunited with the course…

Wednesday: Queen Mother Champion Chase, Cheltenham It was meant to be an epic rematch and that prospect briefly threatened to be even more intriguing when tactics got redrawn from leftfield, but the elements ultimately conspired to turn the spectacle of the 2022 Queen Mother Champion Chase into a veritable damp squib. The history books will record…

The Betway Queen Mother Champion Chase was billed as round two of heavyweight two-mile chasers Shishkin and Energumene, but in the end, there was only one horse in it. Shishkin got the better of their first meeting in the Clarence House Chase at Ascot, winning by a length and taking his unbeaten record over fences to seven. But in a dramatic…

Sky Sports Racing senior analyst Jamie Lynch assesses the leading candidates for one of the most eagerly-anticipated races of the Cheltenham Festival, the Queen Mother Champion Chase. The Godfather Part II, Aliens, The Empire Strikes Back and Nutty Professor 2: The Klumps. Those are rare examples of the sequel being better than the original, but it…

Willie Mullins has nailed his colours to Chacun Pour Soi's mast ahead of Energumene in the Betway Queen Mother Champion Chase. Despite the fact Energumene is trading at around half the odds of the 10-year-old, Mullins thinks the six-times Grade One winner is more than capable of claiming a first Festival win. Energumene only has a length to find…

Willie Mullins has nailed his colours to Chacun Pour Soi's mast ahead of Energumene in the Betway Queen Mother Champion Chase. Despite the fact Energumene is trading at around half the odds of the 10-year-old, Mullins thinks the six-times Grade One winner is more than capable of claiming a first Festival win. Energumene only has a length to find…

After an'in and out' Cheltenham Willie Mullins is in hot pursuit of a record-breaking Punchestown festival with his tally for the week at 13 winners and two days remaining. On Thursday Mullins equalled Tuesday's haul of five consecutive victories - at odds of 299-1 - and dominated the Grade One contests with a one-two in both of them. Klassical…