Monkfish and Paul Townend lead Latest Exhibition© Photo Healy Racing
Willie Mullins compared Monkfish to his star chasers Florida Pearl and Al Boum Photo at Leopardstown today as the Champion Trainer's Rich Ricci owned gelding maintained his unbeaten chase record with a taking display in the Grade 1 Flogas Novice Chase.
Ridden by Paul Townend, the old-fashioned-looking-chaser son of Stowaway made all, jumped well and handed Latest Exhibition a third career beating, proving 11 lengths too strong in another show-no-mercy display.
Afterwards Mullins, with his third winner of the day, stated “what can you say after a performance like that — Paul thought he should be in the next race (the Irish Gold Cup)!
“I was more impressed with him today than any day. It looks like he’s getting better with each run. The ease of it was impressive.
“This fella has the same potential (as Florida Pearl and Al Boum Photo); everything is so effortless, and he has huge scope no matter how he meets a fence.”
Winning jockey Townend added “all I had to do was sit there and steer him to be honest. He locked eyes on every fence and took them on, the loose horse took me on and set him alight a little bit but I wasn't worried because he is just a very good horse.
“The feel he gives me, he isn't a plodder and has a little bit of class.”
Monkfish won last year's Albert Bartlett Novice Hurdle at the Cheltenham festival and following today's latest win, Paddy Power cut Monkfish to even money (from 7/4) for the Festival Novices Chase at Cheltenham in March.
Quotes from Alan Magee
