Vega makes it a 51/1 Grade 1 double for Mullins in the Honeysuckle Aurora Vega completed a Grade 1 double for champion trainer Willie Mullins at Fairyhouse when prominent throughout to land the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Honeysuckle Mares Novice Hurdle. The impeccably bred mare, by Walk In The Park out of Quevega, was far from fluent at the final two hurdles in the straight but kept on really well under Paul Townend to get the better of UK raider That’ll Do Moss by two and a quarter lengths. The 12/1 winner’s stablemate Karamoja was a further seven lengths back in third. The Henry de Bromhead-trained pair of The Big Westerner and Air Of Entitlement both proved very disappointing. The Big Westerner was sent off the 6/4 favourite but was beaten well before the straight and was pulled up two out, while her stablemate could only manage seventh. Mullins said, “Like her mother she’s maturing with age. The family just seems to get better with age, and it looks like she’ll stay further. “Quevega had a big heart and she’s breeding mares with a big heart as well.” Mullins also landed the WillowWarm Gold Cup with Spindleberry - the 3/1 chance ridden by his nephew Danny.
