RACING: PUNCHESTOWN REPORT AND PREVIEW:QUEVEGA'S LADBROKES World Series Hurdle victory yesterday had Willie Mullins extolling her ability, Ruby Walsh struggling to describe her quality and a huge festival crowd gratefully praising her as the first outright favourite to win at the Punchestown Festival all week.
The triple-Cheltenham Festival heroine put in possibly the finest performance of her career to date when holding off her stable companion Mourad in the €160,000 feature and it was little surprise when the sponsors installed her as just 6 to 4 to complete a remarkable four-in-a-row next year.
Before that, though, the French-bred mare could return to Auteuil in Paris for France’s Champion Hurdle next month, a race that Dawn Run won in 1984, and comparisons with that legendary horse were being flung around without embarrassment yesterday.
Even Mullins, whose father, Paddy, trained Dawn Run, wasn’t reluctant to make such comparisons after Quevega surprised even him with the way she recovered from a last-flight mistake.
“Nine times out of 10 you would expect her to fall but she barely missed a beat. She’s only tiny but she’s so athletic and as strong as an ox. Just a stride later she was back as if nothing had happened,” the champion trainer said.
“Both she and Dawn Run are mares with huge ability. Dawn Run was all raw power, a bit like Frankel, whereas this mare can do it at any trip. They are different types but both very strong.”
Ruby Walsh held the bragging rights over his sister Katie, who momentarily looked like taking advantage of Quevega’s last flight mistake on Mourad, but kept it simple when asked what makes the winner special.
“She’s just very good,” he said. “A tough, honest horse who picked up when she had to: just a pleasure to ride.”
Dr Whizz had been a winning joint-favourite earlier in the day in the handicap chase but Quevega was greeted with a fervour that emphasised how punters have been struggling this week. She has also fulfilled the role of “Irish banker” at each of the last three Cheltenham Festivals and looks like doing so again in 2012.
“I can’t see the point myself in bothering to do anything else but go back to the David Nicholson Hurdle next season,” Mullins said, and a Cheltenham return to the World Hurdle for Mourad next year also looks on the cards.
Mourad ran third to Big Buck’s last March and the trainer immediately nominated that race again as the chestnut’s long-term target.
“He has been busy since Christmas so we might let him off. But he could go back to the flat. I think there’s a nice handicap prize in him. Or he could go to France. We’ll have to see,” said Mullins, who also indicated Mikael D’Haguenet, unplaced yesterday, will be kept to hurdles next season.
But an “if it ain’t broke” policy will apply to Quevega. “I would say she’d run in the Mares’ Hurdle again, even though I’ll enter her in other races,” Mullins added. “If you’re lucky enough to have a favourite for a race at Cheltenham, you run in that race.”
* A 15,527 attendance at Punchestown yesterday was a marginal 15-person increase on last year’s third-day figure. Tote turnover was up from 2010’s figure of €822,853 to €985,445. the bookmaker tally of €1,544,394 was down over €25,000 on last year.
