Annamix and Danny Mullins© Photo Healy Racing
Willie Mullins put a second win on the board at Fairyhouse with a one two in the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Beginners Chase as Annamix (7/1) led home Voix Des Tiep (11/4 into 9/4 second favourite).
Mullins’ nephew Danny was aboard Annamix. Stable jockey Paul Townend was on Voix Des Tiep and he’d earlier won on Closutton’s Jazzaway in the mares maiden hurdle.
Eleven lengths separated them at the end of this two mile one furlong event and there was a twenty nine length break back to the third, Valdieu
Annamix made all and he got two out wrong and jumped across Voix Des Tiep. Soon in control, the victorious grey raced on for a good win.
From their chasing the leaders off the pace position, market-leader Chosen Mate and Davy Russell never really threatened to take a hand. They finished fourth.
“It was a good performance. Willie has done well with this lad and I had schooled him a good bit at home,” said Danny Mullins.
“He put it together nicely and it takes a fair horse to come and win in Fairyhouse first time. Hopefully there will be more to come over fences than he showed over hurdles but he still ran to a solid level over hurdles all last year.
“What he done at the second last was probably why he was so good. When he made the mistake he got away from it quick. We don't get points for how well it looks, it's about how fast we get from A to B and he did that as adequate as you'd like him to do it today for a horse first time.
“He'll probably get further but the way he threw in a few of those jumps early on he'd be a nice two-mile chaser through the spring.
“Better ground might bring out more in him but that's still a solid performance on slow ground after plenty of rain today.”
(GC & EM)
