'Truly Terrific' Mullins Horse Has Plenty of Options

The last truly terrific novice performance of the 2024/25 National Hunt season was delivered in emphatic fashion by Final Demand at the Punchestown Festival and it has opened plenty of doors for his future.

The Willie Mullins representative was sent out to 'show off' at Punchestown in the words of Paul Townend and he certainly did that in demolishing his rivals at the Kildare circuit.

Final Demand delivers in style

Final Demand was just one of nine Grade 1 winners among Mullins' tally of 15 race wins at the Punchestown Festival but arguably his performance was as exciting as anything we witnessed.

He won the Alanna Homes Champion Novice Hurdle by 16 lengths from the promising Colm Murphy-trainer improver Lovely Hurling, with The Yellow Clay — an outstanding novice himself this season for Gordon Elliott — having cried enough long before he took a tired fall at the final flight.

After being so impressive at the Dublin Racing Festival in February, Final Demand was only third in the Turners Novices' Hurdle at Cheltenham in March behind The New Lion and The Yellow Clay.

Here it was a different story as Paul Townend set out and made all in front on the Bryan Drew & Professor Caroline Tisdall-owned six-year-old, with the result never in doubt from the moment they entered the home straight.

A point-to-point winner in March 2024 at Lingstown, Final Demand ended his first season under Rules with three wins from four starts, two of them in Grade 1 company.

'Awesome' winner had point to prove

Mullins labelled the Punchestown performance 'awesome' after Final Demand torched his rivals in the two-mile-four-and-a-half-furlong Grade 1.

"I saw him jumping the first and second hurdles but wasn't happy that he was jumping well until he jumped the third. He was then getting lengths at his hurdles and for a big chaser (type) to jump the way he did when it mattered, he was electric," said the trainer.

"I thought he was going to tire due to the pace but then he'd go down to the hurdle and just take a length out of a horse behind him."

The dual champion trainer of Britain and Ireland revealed that Townend had a deliberate plan going out, after learning the lessons of Cheltenham.

"It was an awesome performance over that trip, for that horse. Paul felt he didn't go fast enough in Cheltenham and said to Caroline (Tilsdale, part-owner) 'today I'm going to show him off'."

Chasing career may be next

Chasing could be imminent for Final Demand when he returns from his summer recess. He's clearly got a big engine and is a general 3/1 chance for the three-mile Brown Advisory Novices' Chase at Cheltenham next season, while he is around 16/1 for the Arkle over two miles.

Mullins revealed he hasn't jumped any fences at home in Closutton just yet, adding that there 'will be time enough next autumn'.

With Final Demand having helped him secure his 19th Irish trainers' championship, Mullins is however hinting that the promising youngster could head straight over fences next season.

"He won his point-to-point so he's well able to jump," he added "To have this horse with his size and scope, these horses don't come along too often - if we can just keep him sound."