The Patrick Ward & Company Irish Arkle Novice Chase |
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| Grade 1, Leopardstown 14:10 Race Value: €125,000 5yo plus, 2m 1f, Class 1  |
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| Saturday 6th February 2021 | |
1 Energumene 5/6F
2 Franco De Port 5/1
3 Blackbow 40/1
9 ran Distances: 10l, ¾l, 12l
Time: 4m 23.50s
✨Derby Sale, Consistently The Best✨
— Tattersalls Ireland (@tatts_ireland) February 6, 2021
Energumene puts in a foot perfect performance to make it three from three when winning the Grade 1 Irish Arkle for @WillieMullinsNH & @PTownend at @LeopardstownRC
Sold for €50,000 by Moanmore Stables to @tflacey
pic.twitter.com/F7wKqTaN7s
Energumene set up a mouthwatering clash with Shishkin at Cheltenham next month with a brilliant front-running display here.
The seven-year-old had looked a natural in winning his first two starts over fences – and with trainer Willie Mullins and jockey Paul Townend having already landed the first two Grade Ones of the afternoon, Energumene was the 5-6 favourite to follow suit.
Sent straight to the lead, the Tony Bloom-owned gelding fenced fluently throughout the two-mile-one-furlong contest to keep the pressure on his chasing rivals, with the fall of nearest pursuer Captain Guinness at the second-last leaving the market leader with a clear advantage.
His stable companions Franco De Port and Blackbow attempted to bridge the gap from the home turn, but Energumene was in a class of his own as he passed the post with 10 lengths in hand.
Franco De Port pipped Blackbow to the runner-up spot to make it a Mullins one-two-three.
Coral made Energumene a 5-2 chance for the Arkle Trophy at Cheltenham, with Nicky Henderson’s Shishkin remaining at the head of the market at 8-11.
Arkle Novice Chase
(Grade 1) 2m 1f, Race Value: €125,000
9 ran
Going: Soft, Yielding in places
1 Energumene 7 11-12 W P Mullins Paul Townend 5/6F
2 10 Franco De Port 6 11-12 W P Mullins B J Cooper 5/1
3 ¾ Blackbow 8 11-12 W P Mullins Danny Mullins 40/1
4 12 Embittered 7 11-12 Joseph Patrick O'Brien Donagh Meyler 40/1
5 8½ I'm A Game Changer 9 11-12 Andrew McNamara Darragh O'Keeffe 200/1
6 1½ Unexcepted 7 11-12 W P Mullins Mark Walsh 10/1
7 1½ Darver Star 9 11-12 Gavin Cromwell Jonathan Moore 8/1
8 2¾ Felix Desjy 8 11-12 Gordon Elliott Jack Kennedy 9/1
FELL Captain Guinness 6 11-12 Henry De Bromhead Rachael Blackmore 10/1
