Petite Parisienne headed a Willie Mullins one-two after a thrilling climax to the Gala Retail Spring Juvenile Hurdle at Leopardstown.
The four-year-old filly opened her account over jumps at Grade One level as she got the better of her stable companion Kalkir. The pair treated racegoers to a tremendous finish, with Bryan Cooper driving Petite Parisienne (6-1) home by a length and three-quarters over Ruby Walsh on the 5-4 favourite.
Prussian Eagle was third. The winner was slashed to 10-1 from 25-1 for the JCB Triumph Hurdle with Paddy Power.
“I’m happy with both of them and both will go to Cheltenham for the Triumph,” Mullins said. “ That was a good prep run. Hopefully both of them will improve from that and they are two nice horses to be going with. I also have Dicosimo who will go there as well.”
Cooper added: “She’s a grand filly. We went a good gallop and she came back on the bridle pretty strong going down to the last. I was always confident. It rode a good race and she’s tough. It was a big help getting the allowance as a filly and she’s going the right way.”
Nichols Canyon, also trained by Mullins and ridden by Ruby Walsh, won the Deloitte Novice Hurdle at Leopardstown. Tony McCoy, who announced yesterday that he intends to retire at the end of the season, was third on Alvisio Ville.
Nichols Canyon unseated his rider at Leopardstown over Christmas but the five-year-old pulled clear of the opposition in the straight to score in great style today.
Stablemate Alvisio Ville kept tabs on him until then but was well held from two out under McCoy and faded once Walsh pressed the button on Nichols Canyon (9-2). Windsor Park came from last place to claim second place, three-and-a-half lengths behind the winner with 11-10 favourite Alvisio Ville third.
“He did what he does on the Flat — stays,” said Mullins. “He jumped and stayed and he’s improving all the time. He was disappointing at Christmas, to do what he did. I thought he might not beat the grey horse (Alvisio Ville) but I’d say the grey horse lacked experience and beat himself. Remember the winner is a professional racehorse.
“I’m very pleased with him. I imagine he would be a Neptune type, but I wouldn’t rule out the Supreme. It will depend on what way the ball bounces with other horses.
“He’s in the three races, but I think it’ll be the Supreme or Neptune as we have plenty of horses for the Albert Bartlett. The way he jumped I wouldn’t be afraid to go back to two miles. He was gaining half a length or a length at his hurdles there.
“He did it the hard way from the front and that’s the way you could win at Cheltenham.”
Walsh added: “He was keen enough in front. He jumped reasonably well. On his Flat form I thought he was more of a stayer. He’s gone a good gallop in front and took a good grip with me all the way, but he stays and he’s a high-class horse.”
Apache Stronghold, however, gained revenge on Mullins's Valseur Lido in a ding-dong battle for the Flogas Novice Chase.
Noel Meade’s charge had been beaten eight lengths Mullins’s runner in the Drinmore 10 weeks earlier, but turned the tables under a typical Paul Carberry ride.
In the rear early on as Tony McCoy and Jarry D’Honneur set the pace, Apache Stronghold (9-2) only came into the race at the business end and jumped the last with Valseur Lido. He got on top on the run-in to get the verdict by half a length from Valseur Lido, with the latter’s stablemate Adriana Des Mottes third.
Carberry, who celebrates his 41st birthday on Monday, said: “I took the shortest route. Down the back he wasn’t flying his fences. I had to wait for him to come to me and once he got the gap he flew. He winged the last and kept his head down all the way to the line.
“He jumped very well the last day but he has a real good cruising speed and I just had to keep taking him back, which I didn’t want to do today. He wasn’t getting the same jumps today (mid-race) but he got them when I needed them.
“This is our big hope. When he won in Navan (in November 2013) I thought he’d keep me going for a Gold Cup some day, so he’s worth going on for.”
McCoy rode his first winner since announcing he is to retire at the end of the season when Sort It Out claimed the Paddy Power 'Number 1 For Live Streaming' Handicap Hurdle. The 19-time champion jockey then went on to win the Hennessy Gold Cup on board JP McManus's Carlingford Lough.
In the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Mares Handicap Hurdle Who's That, trained by Liam Cusack and ridden by Mark Enright, was the winner by just over a length from Misty Lady, with Cacheofgold in third.
