El Fabiolo and Paul Townend© Photo Healy Racing
Champion Chase antepost favourite El Fabiolo concluded his near faultless novice chase season undefeated today, winning his third Grade 1 in Punchestown's Barberstown Castle Novice Chase.
Free-going stablemate Dysart Dynamo led and while El Fabiolo (1/4f) made some early jumping errors, swept past jumping the second-last and won by 11 lengths. Outsider Indian Jones (40/1) stayed on for a never dangerous third while Saint Roi made jumping mistakes and finished last of four.
Winning trainer Willie Mullins, with a treble and his 11th winner this week, reported “I was wondering about four fences out had Danny (Mullins, on Dysart Dynamo) stolen a march but Paul said the minute he pulled his lad out and said go, he just lit up underneath him. He was a bit ring rusty over the first few fences.
“He looks all over a two-miler. He can go up in trip and I’d have no problem going two and a half as he’s nice and relaxed. He’s improving all the time but the way he does things over two miles he may stay at that. Paul is all the time pulling him back to keep the lid on him.
“Dysart Dynamo doesn’t know when to give up and that might even be his downfall. It was great to see him getting up at Cheltenham, he got a horrendous fall but he got up shook himself and he’s been fine since.”
Jockey Townend added “he's getting better with every run and today he made mistakes but got better from it.
“Danny (Mullins on Dysart Dynamo) had me at the pin of my collar but he came into his own from the second-last. He is improving the whole time and I think there are a lot of options for him.”
Paddy Power later cut El Fabiolo to 7/4 favourite (from 5/2) for next March's Cheltenham Champion Chase.
Quotes from Alan Magee
