Facile Vega and David Porter © Photo Healy Racing
Patrick Mullins is delighted with the prospect of being reunited with Facile Vega in the Racing Post Novice Chase at Leopardstown on Tuesday.
Mullins won four bumpers on the six-year-old two seasons ago, including the championship events at Cheltenham and Punchestown, and with Paul Townend at Kempton to ride Allaho he steps into the breach.
As a son of the brilliant Quevega he had plenty to live up to, but he already has four Grade Ones in the bank and that is before he has even had the chance to add to it over fences, something he looks like he was born to do.
Mullins’ father and trainer Willie feels he may be at his best when stepping up in trip, but while he is winning over two miles there seems little reason to change and he faces just three rivals, including stablemate Sharjah, a horse Mullins has also enjoyed great success with.
“I’m delighted to get back on him – we had a great season together two years ago,” said Mullins.
“I schooled him and rode him work on the Curragh on Tuesday and he worked very well, I was very happy with him.
“I got a great spin in this race a few years ago on Douvan, so hopefully this could be just as good.
“He’s not an ex-point-to-pointer or an ex-French horse, he’s a homebred who started off in bumpers, so he’s entitled to improve jumping-wise, more so than some of our other horses.
“He definitely has the physique to be a better chaser and I think in time he’ll probably go up in trip – Quevega stayed three miles well. But he has plenty of speed of two miles at the moment.
“Myself and Danny (Mullins) pick up plenty of Paul’s crumbs and I can’t wait.”
Gavin Cromwell’s My Mate Mozzie and Gordon Elliott’s Found A Fifty complete the field.
