Polidam and Danny Mullins are clear at the last© Photo Healy Racing
Willie Mullins saddled a 1-2 in the featured Foxrock Handicap Chase but not in the order that most expected as Polidam upset stable-companion Acapella Bourgeois at Navan.
The French import was let down by some mistakes when a heavily-backed favourite on his Irish debut in a valuable handicap at the Punchestown Festival but put in a decent round of jumping in this €50,000 2m4f event.
Danny Mullins’ mount went to the front five out and the 10/1 shot stayed on strongly from the penultimate fence to score by nine lengths.
Acapella Bourgeois was backed as if defeat was out of the question but could make no impression approaching the final fence and had to settle for second. Fine Rightly weakened after a slight mistake two out to finish a further 15 lengths back in third, while Apache Stronghold kept on one paced in fourth.
Mullins said, “I was just hoping that something would win, and it's grand to win a nice prize like that up here on a Saturday. The winner certainly enjoys that ground and the trip is no problem to him. We think he'll improve again.
“If the winner hadn't been in it the second horse would have won with his head in his chest. Acapella Bourgeois looks to be a lot more settled now, and I'd imagine we'll probably have to go back up in trip.
“He boiled over on his last two runs last year but he looks to be a lot more settled this year. I'd imagine we'll probably try a different trip but he's handicapped against Irish horses and he would have won easily but for Polidam being in the race.
"We might just have had a nice handicap mark with him. He was unexposed but he has Grade 1 form in France and by the end of the season we might be thinking that wasn't a bad performance.”
(GC & AM)
