Energumene and Paul Townend© Photo Healy Racing
Willie Mullins' annual Punchestown plunder is half-complete and provided his 11th set of owners with a winner today, as Cheltenham-absentee Energumene won the Grade 1 Ryanair Novice Chase in the hands of Champion Jockey-elect Paul Townend.
The Tony Bloom-owned, UK point-to-point winner was absent from the Cheltenham festival due to a muscle injury and today resumed when making all to beat Easter's Grade 1 winner and stablemate Janidil by 16 lengths.
Energumene's win was Mullins' 11th from 21 races run at, roughly, Punchestown's halfway point and also moved stable jockey Townend to the 98 winner mark for the season, seven clear of Rachael Blackmore.
All of Mullins' winners have been for different owners and following his seventh Grade 1 win, stated “it was a nice surprise to get him back because I thought when we had to scratch him from Cheltenham we'd miss Punchestown.
“He just made a very quick recovery. We were hoping to get him to Fairyhouse but that didn't work so I said we'd be better off taking our time and coming here and that paid off.”
“He seems to be back to himself. He was very slick early on, met a few wrong down the back but once he got his eye in again over the last four he was brilliant.
“It was a great performance to finish up the season.”
He added “he's won over two-and-a-half and has won a point-to-point, and the only reason I came back was because he was so slick jumping.
“I thought he'd be a two-and-a-half mile horse, more like Janidil, but when he gets his jumping right he's more like a hurdler over fences.
“I'd imagine we'll go the Champion Chase route first and we'll see how that goes.
“He's a nice one for Tony Bloom to have.”
Quotes from Gary Carson
