Willie Mullins column: Sunday runners

By Willie Mullins

Sporting Life Plus

Sat January 11, 2025 · 2h ago

Can our star columnist further enhance his fine record in the Sky Bet Moscow Flyer? Check out his thoughts on this year's team.

Punchestown Sunday

12:55 Lecky Watson

This Grade Three novice chase has a very good record with recent winners including Spillane’s Tower, Impervious, Bob Olinger and Envoi Allen. Our runner this time was very good when he won in Naas on his chasing debut, beating hotpot Slade Steel.

Hopefully he can build on that to take on some very good novices here. These fences will be a lot bigger than Naas but with his style of jumping I don’t think they’ll hold any bother for him.

The Sky Bet Moscow Flyer is another race with great history and one that produces some really top-class horses over the years and hopefully one of ours can follow in their footsteps. We have a top team this time around.

14:25 Kel Histoire

A horse who was very impressive when winning at Cork in December. A flat right-handed track will suit him. Trip and ground will too.

14:25 Salvator Mundi

He heads our challenge with Paul Townend riding. He’s a really nice horse who we bought after finishing second to Sir Gino in France. That form looks fantastic now. Salvator Mundi won in Tipperary in May by a jaw-dropping 62 lengths.

I’d have rather got a run in him before now but we think he’s in good form and are happy to let him take his chance in a tip-top race.

14:55 Kappa Jy Pyke

Ran a cracker on his first start for us when just getting tired between the last two hurdles and finishing second to Sky Lord. That outing will benefit him tremendously, he jumps well enough and I expect him to be a big player on Sunday.

Recent winners

We were delighted with the performance of Ile Atlantique going back to two miles at Naas last weekend. I was hoping his jumping would allow him to compete over a shorter trip, but was pleasantly surprised at how sharp he was around a track which I would consider to be a sharp for two milers.

You really have to jump and gallop and that’s exactly what he did. That puts him in the Arkle picture now and it’s nice to have another arrow to fire at that target along with Majborough.

Patrick’s faith in Fun Fun Fun wasn’t misplaced and she ran and jumped with the sort of potential he thought she had, beating Karia Des Blaises who I expected to go close after her previous run in Cork.

She seemed to miss the first and second fence which took her out of contention but she’s one to keep an eye on for the future while Iris Emery probably ran a career best in third on ground we didn’t think would suit her. That opens up more opportunities for her being able to put in a run like that. I was very happy with all three.

Champ Kiely was very good at Fairyhouse, jumping with serious intention and didn’t lose ground anywhere. Every time a horse got near him he put in another jump and gained another length.

He looks a serious contender for the Ladbrokes Novices’ Chase at the Dublin Racing Festival.

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