); Mullins had his 15th championship in the bag before Punchestown but it didn’t stop him dominating
Donn McClean takes a look back at the 2021 Punchestown Festival and Willie Mullins’ 19-winner haul. By Donn McClean Tuesday 4 May 2021, 7:00 AM 3 hours ago 1,575 Views 1 Comment
GOING INTO THE Punchestown Festival in 2018, one week to go in the 2017/18 Irish National Hunt season, and Willie Mullins trailed Gordon Elliott by over €500,000 in the trainers’ championship.
You knew that Willie Mullins would be strong at Punchestown but, even so, it was a fair gap, and the bookmakers made Gordon Elliott favourite to claim his first title.
Cheltenham Festival: Donn McClean with five Irish handicappers to follow
By Donn McClean
21:45 · MON March 15, 2021
The leading pundit completes his build-up to Cheltenham with five Irish horses expected to outrun their prices in handicaps this week.
You Raised Me Up (Martin Brassil)
You Raised Me Up didn’t run at Cheltenham last year. Third in the Ladbrokes Hurdle at the 2020 Dublin Racing Festival, he was an 11th-hour withdrawal from the County Hurdle, a race that was run on ground that would have been softer than ideal for him.
Martin Brassil’s horse was impressive in winning his maiden hurdle at Listowel in September and, given a nice break after that, he returned to win a good novices’ hurdle at Naas last month. He quickened up nicely that day, and he kept on well to get the better of two talented novices in Petibonome and Feelgood Island.