Mullins banks on Bachasson to extend Clonmel run

PA Sport Reporters
March 23, 2020 4:45 pm

Smart grey goes back over fences.

Bachasson bids to provide Willie Mullins with a third consecutive victory in the feature event of the afternoon at Clonmel on Tuesday.

The champion trainer has saddled the last two winners of the Download The BoyleSports App Chase, in Koshari and Acapella Bourgeois respectively, and appears to have an excellent chance of completing the hat-trick.

Bachasson, who carries the colours of Edward O’Connell made famous by the now-retired Un De Sceaux, has won 10 of his 20 starts to date.

Having returned from a year on the sidelines with a fine effort to finish third in last month’s Boyne Hurdle at Navan, the grey finished sixth in the Coral Cup at the Cheltenham Festival a fortnight ago.

The nine-year-old reverts to fences for the first time since falling at the second fence in the 2018 Cheltenham Gold Cup.

Assistant trainer Patrick Mullins said: “He ran very well in Cheltenham and he seems fine since. Hopefully this looks a good opportunity for him.

“He hasn’t run over fences since he fell in the Gold Cup, but he’s usually a very good jumper, even though he isn’t a big horse.

“The way he jumped in Cheltenham, I wouldn’t be worried about going back over fences with him, anyway.”

Bachasson faces just four rivals in the two-and-a-half-mile contest, including stable companion Bonbon Au Miel. Gordon Elliott’s Death Duty and Joseph O’Brien’s Mortal both represent Gigginstown House Stud, with Jessica Harrington’s Discordantly completing the quintet.

Henry de Bromhead saddles four runners across the seven-race card, perhaps the most interesting of which runs in the concluding Virtual Racing On The BoyleSports App Flat Race.

Yousayitbest was bought for GBP 220,000 in November, having won his only start in the point-to-point sphere impressively 12 days earlier.

The five-year-old son of Doyen was a non-runner after being declared to run at Downpatrick on Sunday.

De Bromhead said: “He seems a very nice horse that has been working well at home. He was very impressive winning his point-to-point. We just want to get him out and started now.

“I was just worried about the drying ground at Downpatrick. We’ve not been too hard on him at home, but he is doing well. Whether he is a bumper horse I don’t know, but he is a really nice jumps horse for the future.”

Yousayitbest’s opponents include Elliott’s Frontal Assault, who was last seen finishing third behind subsequent Champion Bumper winner Ferny Hollow, and a pair of newcomers in Captain Kangaroo and Kilcruit, trained by Willie and Tony Mullins respectively.

Interestingly, Patrick Mullins partners Kilcruit for his uncle, rather than Captain Kangaroo for his father.

De Bromhead fires a twin assault at the opening Money Back On The BoyleSports App Maiden Hurdle, with Florrie Web looking to build on a third placed finish on his hurdling debut at Cork last July.

His stable companion She Tops The Lot was pulled up in three point-to-points.

“Florrie Webb is a nice horse who ran well on his first start for us at Cork last year. We would be hoping he can step forward from that and give us another nice run,” said De Bromhead.

“She Tops The Lot seems a nice mare at home that works well. Although she hasn’t done much in her point-to-point races, it is her first run for us, so we will see how she gets on.”