Can Sainte Lucie bounce back at the Festival?

Not much went wrong for Willie Mullins at the Dublin Racing Festival but Sainte Lucie's abject performance in the Juvenile Hurdle was a definite low point.

The French import had previously scored impressively at Punchestown on debut for the yard in the colours of Rich Ricci but she blew out at Leopardstown.

Can Sainte Lucie bounce back in the JCB Triumph Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival?

Punchestown promise goes up in smoke

After Final Orders had thrashed his rivals in the Dublin Racing Festival opener, many believed that Willie Mullins would make it successive Grade 1 wins when Sainte Lucie went off a short-price favourite in the Gannon's City Recovery & Recycling Services Juvenile Hurdle under Paul Townend.

Once-raced in France, she had joined the Rich Ricci ownership and scored in impressive style at Punchestown on New Year's Eve.

The rise into elite company was expected to be smooth but she was perhaps too keen under Townend and fiddled at some of the obstacles.

She was still sat third going to two out but when the button was pressed, she dropped out rapidly and trailed home at the back of the field as Hello Neighbour instead marked himself down as Ireland's leading Triumph Hurdle contender for Gavin Cromwell.

Bounce back asks a lot

It will take a major rebound if Sainte Lucie is going to prevail in the Cotswolds, though there is some degree of precedent with Lossiemouth.

That particular Ricci mare was denied in the same Dublin Racing Festival contest as odds-on favourite in 2023 before going on to win the Triumph.

In Lossiemouth's defence, she met trouble in running at Leopardstown, got shuffled back through the field and rallied strongly to be second to stablemate Gala Marceau. It would be a reverse of the placings in Cheltenham.

Since the DRF, Mullins has stated that Sainte Lucie got warm before the race and was too keen in it. Given his time again - knowing the pace in the race would be slow — the champion trainer says he'd have instructed Paul Townend to make the running.

Brits look top drawer

On the back of her debut win at Punchestown in December, Mullins declared that Sainte Lucie 'looks right out of the top drawer'.

Clearly, he holds her in relatively high regard and on that basis it could prove foolish to write her off following one off-day.

Her main trouble is that while Hello Neighbour and company need to be caught from Leopardstown, it is the British challenge that could ultimately prove 'top drawer' at Cheltenham.

Once-raced winner Lulamba looks full of potential for Nicky Henderson, the trainer with more Triumph Hurdle wins than anyone else.

Further, East India Dock is a young hurdler of immense potential for trainer James Owen. The son of Epsom Derby winner Golden Horn was smart on the Flat and has three wins from three over hurdles, two of them wide margin romps at Cheltenham.

Sainte Lucie may bounce back at Cheltenham, but merely bouncing back to the form of her maiden win is unlikely to cut it.

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