Gaelic Warrior set for positive Dublin Chase tactics

Gaelic Warrior bids to cement his Queen Mother Champion Chase claims in the Ladbrokes Dublin Chase at Leopardstown on Sunday.

Winner of the Arkle at Cheltenham last season, the Willie Mullins-trained gelding was beaten by the reopposing Solness on his return to action over this course and distance in late December.

Mullins, who fits Gaelic Warrior with a tongue-strap for the first time, expects his charge to improve for that comeback run and is not overly concerned by his tendency to jump right on occasions.

Paul Townend takes over in the saddle from Patrick Mullins, with the latter having deputised over the festive period due to Townend being in action at Kempton.

“He’s come out of Christmas very well. I think Patrick just kept him to the outside that day and that was a big help, he didn’t give him too much opportunity to run down a fence. Sometimes when you bottle up a horse, he has to jump straight,” said the champion trainer.

“You are always worried about a horse like Asterion Forlonge, as he used to jump right as well, and when you put him in against a wing, he couldn’t physically get himself up off the ground – he used to have to do a sort of sidestep before he jumped.

“We learned to give him room and he was fine and it is only in the last two or three fences where it will count. You are just hoping that they are not racing as hard as you can be at that stage and you are only going three-quarters speed, where you can jump a lot straighter than when going flat out.”

On whether he would like Gaelic Warrior to get some cover in behind rivals in Sunday’s Grade One contest, Mullins added: “We don’t know what the opposition is going to do and it may be that if there is no pace, we’re just as happy to let him roll on in front.

“Now he’s got that race under his belt, and with the way he jumps, if he is allowed a lead, we will take it.”

Gaelic Warrior is the clear second-favourite behind Nicky Henderson’s Jonbon for the Queen Mother Champion Chase at the Cheltenham Festival in March.

On Sunday, he will be joined by two stablemates who have already landed the Dublin Chase in the 2023 victor Gentleman De Mee and the defending champion El Fabiolo, who has been off the track since chasing home Jonbon in the Celebration Chase at Sandown last spring.

Solness was a surprise winner when defeating Gaelic Warrior over the festive period and his trainer Joseph O’Brien is hoping for another bold showing.

“It was a great performance at Christmas, we could just do with the ground drying out, to be honest, but he’s been preparing well and he’s going there in good form,” said the Owning Hill handler.

“The ground is a bit quicker on the chase track than the hurdle track, so we do have that in our favour.

“We didn’t expect him to win like that last time, but he was going in off some very good runs and J J (Slevin) gave him a very good ride.”

Just behind Gaelic Warrior in third that day was Barry Connell’s stable star Marine Nationale, who is again in opposition.

Connell said: “Marine is in super form, we were right on Gaelic Warrior’s tail the last day and I think he’s come forward since then.

“He’s kind of having to catch up experience-wise, but we’re looking forward to it.”