Trull House Mares' Novice report: Let's Dance delivers

4.50 Cheltenham - Trull House Mares' Novices' Hurdle result

1st Let's Dance (11/8 favourite)

2nd Barra 12/1

3rd Dusky Legend 20/1

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Race Report

Let's Dance gave trainer Willie Mullins and jockey Ruby Walsh a remarkable four-timer on day three of the Cheltenham Festival when taking her winning run to five in the Trull House Stud Mares' Novices' Hurdle.

Walsh oozed confidence on the 11/8 favourite as he kept the Rich Ricci-owned five-year-old towards the back of the field for most of the race.

Verdana Blue led into the straight from Barra but a big leap took Let's Dance to the front and she galloped on strongly up the hill to score by two and three-quarter lengths from Barra. Dusky Legend was a neck away in third.

The victory equalled a record for Irish-trained winners on a single day of the Festival, after claiming the first six races on the card with the Kim Muir still to come.

Walsh and Mullins opened the meeting with victory in the JLT Novices' Chase courtesy of Yorkhill, with Un De Sceaux and Nichols Canyon also taking top spot in the Ryanair Chase and Sun Bets Stayers' Hurdle respectively.

There was a sad postscript to the race after Toe The Line, trained by John Kiely and owned by the Lillingston Family, had to be put down after fracturing a leg in a fall on the flat.

Reaction

Willie Mullins said of Let's Dance: "Looking at where she was turning for home a lot of things had to fall right, but they had gone a huge gallop and you probably don't expect mares to keep that up - and so it was. She was a second-season novice, too, which meant she had a better chance of jumping the last and flying away from it. Experience told.

"I wouldn't like to tell you what was going through my mind last night, but with the exception of Douvan, who had a veterinary issue, nothing else that was beaten should have won. Different tactics in the [OLBG] Mares' Hurdle might have made a difference, but losing to Apple's Jade was fair enough. There cannot be anything wrong with the horses because they were running well.

 "Today I would have accepted just one winner. Yorkhill was in my mind, but people expect us to have winners here - we hope to have winners here. If it was that easy there would be no pressure and no fun in it. The last two days show you that. It's a tough place to win and we respect the place and the opposition here. We don't have a God-given right to win races, so to get a winner and get on the board was great, and it's been a huge bonus since.

"To have Ruby on our side is worth so much, because he can change his mind two or three times in races when things are not going to plan - he can read races and do what needs to be done and take a chance. He's a huge asset.

"Four winners today shows how good he is - we've been lucky in our time to witness Sir A P McCoy and Ruby Walsh, two fabulous jockeys with different styles, but at the top of their profession. Ruby's confidence was great, and that's why he was able to give Yorkhill the ride he did. He's not going to lose confidence just like that. He gave those horses some rides to win from positions they did today, because in the previous two days horses weren't winning from there.

"He didn't think about yesterday, he just rode today's horses as he saw them, and that's what he does so well."

Ricci was celebrating his first winner of the week and said: "We're late to the party, but we've brought the music.

"First of all I'm delighted for the staff because there's a £50,000 bonus for them and that's about what the prize-money is, I'm delighted for the yard.

"She's a good mare. Joe Chambers (racing manager) deserves plenty of credit because when she was second to Ivanovich Gorbatov in her maiden last year he said 'why not just campaign her in Grade Ones and if we win great and if not she's still a novice'.

"She ran a great race in the Triumph last year.

"It's such a relief to get one, yesterday was tough (defeat of Douvan), it's been a brutal season but there's no future in history, you've got to keep looking forward.

"This game would tame a lion, it's up and down. It would be great to give Willie a Gold Cup with Djakadam tomorrow now."

Walsh said: "What a day, the horses ran well the first two days, they just weren't winning.

"In previous years we were front-loaded and this year we were back-loaded, we knew we had great chances today and we think we have a couple tomorrow

"We had a standing start and she dwelt a bit, I just couldn't lay up with them.

"In fairness her jumping was brilliant and got me into a nice position.

"She was always going to stay, our only worry was coming back in trip, she was always going to stay on.

"She's a very good filly with a nice future.

"It's been a super day for the Irish."