The all-conquering Willie Mullins enjoyed his fifth success of the 2015 Cheltenham Festival when Don Poli ran out an impressive winner of the RSA Chase today.
Don Poli was given a great ride by jockey Bryan Cooper who had suffered a a very badly broken leg at the meeting 12 months ago to the day.
The exciting gelding, who was sent off the heavily-backed 13/8 favoruite, had to be niggled by Cooper more or less throughout the race, yet he jumped the last with ears pricked and won cosily hy six lengths from Soutfield Theatre and Wounded Warrior
Cooper said: “He was very good – he wouldn’t be called ‘exciting’ early on in the race because he’s quite lazy, but he won with plenty left up his sleeve and could have gone around again.
“He stays so well and might have won the four-miler if he’d run in that, but he’s a lovely horse and going the right way. It’s only his third race over fences so he’s a horse to look forward to next season.
“I’m glad to put that [the broken leg] behind and it’s sweet to get a winner on the board.”
The winning trainer added: “It was a terrific performance by Don Poli. He idled a lot of the way when he got to the front and he realised he was in a race, he just switched on, switched off, switched on. Bryan (Cooper) was worried about getting to the front too soon in the parade ring before the race and I thought: ‘If you can get to the front around Cheltenham, you hold on. This fellow will have a lot of reserves in the locker’. He has all the ability in the world but long distance runners have to keep a bit back for themselves. It’s harder on the jockeys, but that’s their problem.
“He had far more reserves in the locker than I thought he would have. His two ears are moving back and forward and, when a horse is doing that, he is only idling – he’s going at half-speed and is ready for anything that comes from behind. He’s not even racing coming up the straight, he is only galloping, looking around. It’s a sure sign that he has got lots left in the locker. Florida Pearl was probably the best RSA winner that I have ever had and this fellow looks as good as him although they are different types.
“If we take the RSA as the meeting of the best novices in the British Isles – Ireland, England, wherever – and he has destroyed them. The only road he can go is the Gold Cup. I’d imagine he’ll go to Punchestown next but he looks a Gold Cup horse in the making.”