Willie Mullins and owner Ronnie Bartlett were all smiles after watching Ballyburn land the Tattersalls Ireland 50th Derby Sale Novice Hurdle at Leopardstown.
The complexion of the race changed a little with the omission of the only flight in the home straight (due to the low sun) but it's unlikely that it made any difference to the result.
Townend, passed fit to ride after being unseated from Gaelic Warrior in the preceding race, had Ballyburn, dropping back half a mile in trip, in a prominent pitch and had his rivals well stretched out in the straight but it was the manner in which he quickened again having bypassed the last obstacle that really caught the eye.
Seven lengths and the same were the winning distances - Slade Steel and King Of Kingsfield filling the places - but the impression created was so much more than the bare margins of victory.
Ballyburn is the new 2/1 favourite (NRNB) from 5/2 with the sponsors for the Sky Bet Supreme Novices' Hurdle, the curtain raiser at next month's Cheltenham Festival. The same firm make him 6/4 (from 7/2 NRNB) for the longer Baring Bingham Novices' Hurdle.
Betfair Sportsbook were similarly taken and make the winner their 7/4 favourite for the Supreme from 9/2.
'He could be anything'
An impressed Mullins said: “It was a great performance, I’m delighted. He hit the front so far out but met the hurdles right. Paul was very happy with how he did things.
“He has a low head carriage and it’s usually a good sign in a horse, I like it, but it’s not nice for the jockeys at the time – you need to have real confidence in your horse.”
On potential Cheltenham Festival plans Mullins would not be drawn, adding: “The horse did everything right over the minimum trip, I’m going to talk about today and leave it at that.”
An interview with Ronnie Bartlett failed to shed any light on potential targets either with the winning owner content to enjoy the moment.
“He was very slick and very sharp on the front end. Paul was fantastic on him," he said.
“Who knows! Let’s just enjoy today.”
When asked about Ballyburn following El Fabiolo's success in the Dublin Chase, Mullins replied: "I was wondering if he could run in the two and a half but he's got so much speed too, he could be anything, couldn't he?
"We'll see, he won today and the owners were here so it's a great day. We're all very happy."
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