Douvan and Paul Townend© Photo Healy Racing
Eight time Grade One and dual Cheltenham Festival hero Douvan (11/8 into 4/5) returned off a 569 day break to win the Grade Two Clonmel Oil Chase in style.
He made a mistake at the seventh, but it was looking good for him once going to the front before the fifth last fence.
Upped to this extended two and a half mile trip, Paul Townend’s mount was untidy at the last but honours were well secured at that stage.
Paddy Power were quickly in with a 12/1 (from 33s) quote about Douvan for the 2020 Ryanair Chase, after his nine and a half length demolition of Jett Monalee finished seven and a half lengths back in third.
The Walk In The Park gelding was completing a Powerstown Park treble for winning trainer Willie Mullins, following on from Kalanisi Og (Patrick Mullins) and Vis Ta Loi (Danny Mullins) earlier.
"I was delighted - the pace was too slow and he was keen until he hit the sixth fence. Then Paul thought he was getting too lazy and woke him up going across the top and was happy with him in front. When he met them right he was able to ping them and when he was wrong he left him paddle them and was fine," reflected Mullins.
"Paul thought he idled in front but was very happy getting off him, I was very happy and visually what I saw I liked. It didn't look that he needed to go up in trip, I would have thought to come back in trip.
"To me he looks to have a lot of the speed that he had before.
"I imagine Christmas will be fine (for his next run) and I'm happy to have him here today and to finish well and we'll have to see how he comes out of the race over the next few days.
"Chacun Pour Soi has to run yet and I'm not making any plans but am delighted he put in that performance today. I wouldn't be looking for three miles after that performance and what he showed me today was he is more at home at a shorter trip.
"I'm much happier today than I have been for the past 569 days and I was happy to get here and to run. If he finished second or third we could build on that but he came out today and did way more than I expected so he liked like the old Douvan."
(TW & EM)
