RANDOX GRAND NATIONAL FESTIVAL NEWS: DANCING CITY BRINGS UP 9.5-1 GRADE ONE LADIES DAY DOUBLE FOR WILLIE MULLINS IN CAVANI SARTORIAL MENSWEAR SEFTON NOVICES’ HURDLE
Friday 12th April
Dancing City (4-1) completed a 9.5-1 Grade One double for trainer Willie Mullins on Ladies Day at the Grand National Festival when successful in the Cavani Sartorial Menswear Sefton Novices’ Hurdle over an extended three miles.
Racing in the colours of Marie Donnelly, the seven-year-old prevailed by five and a half lengths from 85-40 Favourite The Jukebox Man.
Willie Mullins said: “The game looked up crossing the bottom when he just went off the bridle for five or six strides. Paul thought the game was up at that stage, and then he just seemed to get his second wind, and Paul just sat and sat and nursed him until he got over the last, because that took some getting, they were tired and almost out on their feet. It’s testing ground out there.
“It was a good performance - he’s taken a long time to show me that he was the horse we thought we’d bought. A few times during his career we thought maybe we should ship him on, but he’s come right now and he’s going to make an exciting novice chaser.
“I think it’s just been time, and maturity, and as my father used to say to me, patience, which I didn’t understand what that meant - but now I know! It’s taken me years to figure that one out, but sometimes you have to wait for some horses to come and mature and get older and get their own confidence in their own ability. A lot of horses, when he went off the bridle, what, four furlongs out, could have just thrown in the towel, and he didn’t. It's the difference between the good ones and the bad ones, and he’s got that now, and could just be another good one for Joe Donnelly.”
Winning jockey Paul Townend said: “It looked like that was the way it was going to play going out (with Kielan Woods and Charlie Deustch taking each other on). We were able to get in a nice rhythm just behind them and he is a horse that is progressing nicely. I did have to niggle away at him a bit earlier than I thought, but he is just immature and developing all the time. I would have liked to have travelled well out of the back straight, but I didn’t as he hit a little flat spot, however he came back on it quite well and it was a case of just nudging him up the straight.
“I was, and I wasn’t confident he could turn it around with The Jukebox Man, as I originally picked Readin Tommy Wrong over him, so I had a bit of good fortune there. Danny (Mullins) said he thought he would progress again as he had ridden him on his last couple of runs, and he thought he was a horse going the right way. I think he is going to progress again over fences as he jumps like a chaser as he will fill into himself over fences. I think he has a bright future.”
Ben Pauling, trainer of the runner-up The Jukebox Man, said: “He has run two fabulous races at both Cheltenham and Aintree. He was fairly pestered the whole way. I just felt Deutschy (Charlie Deutsch on Kyntara) was softening them both up really. They have gone a nice even gallop, but we have been softened up slightly by the other horse, and Willie’s (Mullins) horse (Dancing City) has been able to sit in behind and track it. They were miles clear of the third though and hopefully he is a nice horse for the future. He is a very good and he will be very exciting over fences next season. We will drop back to two and a half miles over fences. He doesn’t need three miles, but he just stays.
“I think this lad will be a shade better over two and a half miles because he has got gears.”
Harry Redknapp, owner of The Jukebox Man, said: “He jumped so well again and every hurdle he pinged it. The other horse, (Kyntara) that was pestering him all the way, probably didn’t let him get a breather in, but I was delighted with him, and he is a good horse to look forward to next season. Ben said about dropping back to two and a half miles as he has got speed, and travels well. We have got a lot to look forward to. He jumps hurdles unbelievably as he doesn’t miss a beat. It is nice to have a good horse to come to Cheltenham and Aintree with.
“I was looking behind for the (Willie) Mullins horse and about three out I saw he was under pressure, and I thought he was beat, and we are okay here, but he then came back on the bridle here.
“Ben was saying horses just don’t come from winning at Cheltenham, and win here. It is just so unusual. If you look at the records it is hard to do. I know he didn't win at Cheltenham, but we hoped it didn’t take it all out of him and he has run another blinder. He could be the best horse I’ve had as he is a proper horse.”
