Doyle, Jacob and Gainford keep the Wexford flag flying in Leopardstown

THE TWO-DAY extravaganza that the Dublin Racing Festival has become was one of the season’s highlights at Leopardstown on Saturday and Sunday, with trainer Liz Doyle and Davidstown jockey Daryl Jacob providing the Wexford highlights.

ordan Gainford went to England for one ride for Gordon Elliott and won the big race of their weekend at Sandown.

Willie Mullins won three of the four Grade 1 features on day one at a crowded Leopardstown with three different riders and took home €450,000 in prize money, not a bad afternoon’s work!

Two of those winners were not his most fancied horses but that is not really a surprise as he had so many runners, more than half the total in the eight top-flight races over the two days.

Daryl Jacob rode one of the Mullins winners, El Fabiolo (9/2), in the €150,000 Arkle Novice Chase for his delighted retained owners, Simon Munir and Isaac Souede, who came over for the weekend.

Jacob pulled ten lengths clear of a very strong field on the run-in. J.J. Slevin was second on a staying-on Banbridge (8/1) for Joseph O’Brien, getting up to pip the hot favourite, Appreciate It (11/8), by a nose.

With other big guns like Gordon Elliott and Henry De Bromhead failing to score, there was a good spread in the other four races - a Gavin Cromwell double, a Grade 1 for Barry Connell, and success in the bumper for 85-years-old Waterford trainer, John Kiely.

It’s ironic that Elliott’s only winner on the day was the single runner he sent to contest the Grade 1 Scilly Isles novices’ chase at Sandown. Jordan Gainford from Caim made no mistake on Gerri Colombe (10/11f) with a typically cool ride, taking it up at the last and staying on well to win from Balco Coastal (5/1) for Nicky Henderson and Nico de Boinville.

Galopin Des Champs (3/10) won the €250,000 Paddy Power Gold Cup for Mullins and Paul Townend with great authority from stable-mate Stattler (11/2) under Patrick Mullins, and he looks set up to complete the Gold Cup double at Cheltenham.

Seán Flanagan did not have many rides but he made the most of the spin on Barnacullia (28/1) for Michael Mulvany in the €100,000 Paddy Power handicap chase, outrunning his odds to chase home Final Orders (9/2) for Gavin Cromwell and Keith Donoghue.

John Kiely’s bumper win with A Dream To Share (12/1 from 18s) was an emotional occasion for the veteran and for the owner, racing parade ring and betting reporter, Brian Gleeson, whose father had horses with Kiely for more than 40 years. Gleeson bred the horse and his 18-year-old son, John, was in the saddle.

A jublilant Gleeson surrounded by wife Claire and family said: “We named him on Christmas Day and dreamed of winning this race. We bred the horse and we bred the jockey! It’s on to Cheltenham now.” It’s no wonder his voice was not at its best on Sunday after what surely was a hectic celebration.

Liz Doyle got day two at Leopardstown off to a flyer in the 22-runner €100,000 Paddy Mullins mares’ handicap with a surprise winner in Ballybawn Belter (a drifting 16/1), ridden by Simon Torrens for JP McManus.

At the bottom of the handicap and carrying only ten stone, she was always towards the front and took it up coming to the last hurdle and battled on very gamely to hold Historique Reconce (15/2) for Townend and Mullins, and Banntown Girl (11/1) and Danny Mullins.

Doyle was delighted with the win and she was thrilled to do it for JP McManus. “JP is an amazing man to support me because I’m only a small trainer and I don’t have many horses. I’m very grateful to him for his backing.”

Highlight of the day was the €200,000 Irish Champion Hurdle which saw Townend and Mullins with State Man (6/5f) clashing with the 16 times winner and wonder mare, Honeysuckle (11/8), and Rachael Blackmore. Townend kicked out from the start, led all the way and took the sting out of Honeysuckle to win by four and three-quarter lengths.

Henry De Bromhead’s mare has won seven champion hurdles – two at Cheltenham, three at Leopardstown and two at Punchestown - and has won well over €1.5m, so she certainly does not owe anything to anybody.

She may be retired now, or perhaps run again in the mares’ hurdle at Cheltenham for one last hurrah. She got the emotional ovation she deserved on Sunday and now State Man is the horse for the future.

The Mullins dominance was illustated in the Grade 1 Ladbrokes Novice Chase as he fielded five of the six runners, but this was one he did not win as Gordon Elliott’s Mighty Potter (1/1f) was mighty impressive under Davy Russell to win by eight and a half lengths. Second was Adamantly Chosen under Brian Hayes, at 40/1 the total outsider of the Mullins quintet.

Russell had a double on the day. He retired about six weeks ago but came back to help out Elliott when Jack Kennedy broke his leg for the fifth time. His second win was on The Goffer (10/1 from 25s in the morning) for Elliott in the €150,000 Leopardstown Chase.

Mullins won five to add to his treble on day one, with Townend and Danny Mullins completing doubles. Overall, they had three winners each with Daryl Jacob and son Patrick getting the other two.

Townend did the Gold Cup and Champion hurdle double and won a 17-runner €150,000 handicap on Gaelic Warrior at a very skimpy 10/11.

Yet he was disappointed as quite a few of his really fancied mounts disappointed, notably Lossiemouth (1/3) when he got into all sorts of trouble, Appreciate It (11/8f), Blue Lord (1/4) and Facile Vega (4/9) which faded badly into fifth and last in the Grade 1 Novice Hurdle.

J.J. Slevin was part of the drama in that race as he took on Facile Vega on Joseph O’Brien’s High Definition over a flying first mile before he had no chance when unseated down the back straight. By then he had unsettled the hot favourite as they went too fast and this may have accounted for Facile Vega’s fade-out.

It made no difference to Mullins as he won the race anyway with Il Etait Temps (20/1 into 14s) under nephew, Danny.

He had his final winner in the concluding bumper with Fun Fun Fun (9/4f) romping in under son, Patrick.

Overall, it was a good quality and entertaining Dublin Racing Festival, enjoyed by huge crowds in mostly perfect weather. While not many British horses travelled over, there was a sizeable contingent of fans from there.