Kilkenny racing fans celebrate as Willie Mullins strikes gold in Punchestown

Gaelic Warrior overcame some trademark pre-race over-exuberance to stamp his class on a select but high-class field in the Ladbrokes Punchestown Gold Cup, crossing the line 26 lengths ahead of stablemate Fact To File, who was another 28 lengths ahead of another Closutton inmate, Grangeclare West.

Nobody knows better than Paul Townend just how hard it is to follow up glory in the Cheltenham blue riband with victory here, and on a week where so far, many of Willie Mullins’ March heroes failed to fire, the once unpredictable gelding proved like his pilot, to be Mr Reliable.

Susannah Ricci’s son of Maxios was an uneasy enough favourite, though he went off at 5/6, but he now takes his place among the modern greats, as the first horse since Sizing John in 2017 to do the big double. Indeed, since War Of Attrition in 2006, Don Cossack, in 2015, is the only other horse to achieve this difficult feat.

Townend has tried twice with Al Boum Photo and twice more with Galopin Des Champs, but it is clear that Gaelic Warrior, at eight, is a special animal with the time to achieve greatness.

Jockey Paul Townend celebrates with the Ladbrokes Punchestown Gold Cup after victory on Gaelic Warrior during day two of the Punchestown Festival at Punchestown Racecourse in Kildare PICTURE: Seb Daly/Sportsfile

“He was a bit saucy at the start, which worried me a little bit, but he did chill out when we got below. And once we jumped off, he dropped his head, and I got in a lovely little pocket. And he did everything right from there.

“He was listening to me. Big jumps, when I wanted them, or when they presented themselves, but he was always thinking on his feet as well. He's grown up a hell of a lot, and has a hell of an engine.

“He was here in brilliant form. Been worried with the way a couple of them had ran and things, but… he was so impressive (in Cheltenham), it was such a huge performance, would it leave its mark? But no, he turned up again today, and credit to everyone at the track here with the ground they produced here as well. A lot of work has gone into that.”

Mullins saddled the 1-2-3 but admitted to being a little worried as the revs increased over the final mile.

“It was a huge performance,” said Mullins, who is closing in on a 20th champion trainers’ title.

“My heart was in my mouth when Paul joined him between the fourth-last and the third-last. “I was thinking, ‘Would they knock one another?’ or what would they do? They were going some lick. Both jockeys just let fly.

“Over that trip Gaelic Warrior seems to have the measure of Fact To File. Over a shorter trip it might be different. It was a helluva horse race. It takes two horses to do it. It was great that JP (McManus) allowed Fact To File to take him on. It made for a memorable day.”

Jody Townend made a great day for her family, and brought the double up for Mullins, following up her brother’s feature triumph with a notable victory of her own a half-hour later.

The younger member of the East Cork clan is no stranger to big-day success, of course, and she added the Grade 3 Weatherbys General Stud Book Irish EBF Mares INH Flat Race to her bulging CV when Even Tho (7/2) blew away the opposition to prevail by 16 lengths.

And it was thanks to a former legend of the weigh room that the five-year-old joined the Mullins string.

“Rachael Blackmore tipped us off to have a look at her after she fell in her point-to-point and bought her for this client,” Mullins related.

“It’s one of the many talents she has now that she’s given up riding, spotting horses. If she can buy more like her she’ll make a living out of that. I was a good buy by her and we’ll have to give Rachael the plaudits for sourcing this one.

“It was an extraordinary performance. I was hoping my own filly (Al Arrivee) was creeping up the inside with Derek (O’Connor) but when Jody set her alight it was all over in a few strides.”