The story of Hilly Way Chase three-time winner Golden Silver and Paul Townend's partnership Paul Townend is now the star name in jumps racing as the main rider at Willie Mullins’ powerhouse Closutton yard. The Cork native is in his mid-30s and has been champion jockey in Ireland seven times over a 15-year period. Townend has been at Closutton since he was a teenager, initially watching and learning from the great Ruby Walsh as he honed his trade. He has 38 Cheltenham Festival winners, including all four Championship races at least once, and has also won the Grand National at Aintree. He shares the joint-record of four wins in the Gold Cup, an accolade he holds with Arkle’s rider Pat Taaffe. Back in his formative days, Townend struck up an alliance with Golden Silver and they twice won the major jumps race in the rider's native county of Cork. Hilly Way Glory Tracks Back to Golden Silver Mullins has now won a remarkable 16 renewals of the Hilly Way Chase at Cork, the Grade 2 contest over two miles that typically sees some of the star chasers in the division emerging from their summer recesses in late November/early December. His first win came via Our Ben (David Casey) and Scotsirish (Walsh) in 2007 and 2008 before Townend stepped in to land the Mallow race for the first time on Golden Silver in 2009. The French import only had one run over hurdles for Mullins in 2008 and then it was Townend who struck up a positive rapport with him as a novice over fences. They won the Irish Arkle at Leopardstown in the spring of 2009 but ran poorly at Cheltenham as Forpadydeplasterer scored. The following December, at Cork, Townend and Golden Silver won the Hilly Way for the first time, with far more in reserve than the one-length margin from Noel Meade’s Watson Lake would suggest. Big Zeb: A Constant Menace In the early months of 2010, Golden Silver was beaten in both the Tied Cottage at Punchestown and the Champion Chase at Cheltenham as Big Zeb thrived for Colm Murphy. Their rivalry was to become an enduring one, with verdicts alternating over time. Big Zeb won the Fortria Chase at Navan in November 2010 as Golden Silver settled for second best but, from there, it was to Fairyhouse for a rescheduled running of the Hilly Way as Townend’s partner justified odds-on favouritism, with Zaarito behind in second for the Murphy and Robbie Power axis. In the Tied Cottage Chase at Punchestown in January 2011, Townend produced a masterclass on Golden Silver. He was seemingly beaten at the third last before the rider cajoled another effort and they got past Champion Chasers Sizing Europe and Big Zeb on the run to the line, the young jockey getting the better of Barry Geraghty with a superbly-timed challenge. “Golden Silver takes his time to get into a race,” said Townend of that victory. “You just can’t rush him. "I was probably a length or two further back than I wanted to be down the back straight, but I couldn’t do anything about it. "You just have to sit on him, you can’t get down and carry him, you just have to cajole him along. "I thought when we missed the third last we were definitely beaten, but he took off after the second last, and he winged the last. I suppose we caught Big Zeb on the hop a bit, but that’s the way it goes.” Golden Silver Helps Launch Townend’s Career Golden Silver won 11 times in his career. Emmet Mullins was on board for his final success in the Hilly Way in 2011, a 28-length romp, but Townend was the man in the plate for every other success. As he headed towards his maiden jockeys’ title in the 2010/11 season, with Walsh out injured, he was the man Mullins turned to as an able deputy. Townend has never been one to hype himself up, self-deprecating until the last. Asked back then what was propelling him to new heights, he suggested: “Willie’s horses and Ruby’s absence.” Golden Silver and the Hilly Way Chase were a launchpad of sorts and Townend still puts him forward as one of the horses that means most, but everything he has achieved since suggests there was much more to this generational talent than simply being in the right place at the right time.
