Willie Mullins is set to break though the €3 million prizemoney mark for the Irish season this weekend and the champion trainer also has ambitions on a monster €550,000 first prize in Japan this morning with Blackstairmountain.
The Grade One-winning hurdler and chaser lines up for the Nakayama Grand Jump over almost two and three-quarter miles with Ruby Walsh again on board after the partnership had an unsuccessful first experience of Japanese racing last month.
Blackstairmountain could finish only ninth at the Nakayama track outside Tokyo but Emmett Mullins, who has been supervising the horse's preparation in Japan for the last number of weeks, is hopeful that experience will pay off now.
"The fences are a lot like the French hedges, kind of a mound of earth and big bushes coming out, a bit like the cross-country at Cheltenham. They're very big, but soft, and they seem to hurdle them very quickly over here which we weren't used to the first day but he's schooled well since," said the trainer's nephew.
A 16-strong field are due off at 7.40 this morning with Blackstairmountain the only overseas challenger. Just two such horses have ever successfully plundered the Grand Jump, including the Australian star Karasi who completed a hat-trick between 2005-07.
Ger Lyons brings Lily’s Angel as far as Kempton for a Listed race today but is hopeful she will defy topweight.
“She’ll appreciate the surface at Kempton, she’s in good order and I would’t be going over there if I didn’t think she had a big chance,” said Lyons yesterday.
“The ratings don’t mean a lot with fillies as they have to turn up and do it on the day, but if the ratings are right and she does run up to her best, she should be hard to beat.”
Willie Mullins is less than €3,000 off the €3 million prizemoney mark in Ireland and the first prize in the opening maiden hurdle at Tramore today will cover that if Dougal Philps bounces back from a disappointing effort in the Lincoln. The evidence of ten starts over fences suggests Fiery Oscar is better over hurdles but he's in the form of his life and is rated leniently enough on that to win the handicap chase.
