Rathvinden and Paul Townend are clear© Photo Healy Racing
The money came for Rathvinden forcing him into 7/2 co-favourite for the Grade 3 Guinness Open Gate Brewery Novice Chase at Galway. The oldest horse in the line-up at nine now, impressively beat his seven rivals with Paul Townend guiding him home.
Willie Mullins' charge got a patient steer from Townend, and that was obviously the right approach seeing as the Heron Island gelding was able to produce an impressive burst after the last. Don't Touch It didn't always impress with his jumping and he finished a well-beaten fifth.
The other market-leader, Townshend a stable companion to Rathvinden, could never really make his presence felt and had to make do with fourth position.
Meanwhile the Ronnie Bartlett-owned Rathvinden streaked five lengths ahead of runner-up Potters Point inside the final furlong.
"He jumped great. He was taken off his feet a bit early on but once he got into his jumping rhythm it all depended on what the ones up front had left," said Willie Mullins.
"Paul was happy enough that he had plenty up his sleeve and it worked out.
"He missed a lot of time through injury but he's fine now and he had the rating and he had the form.
"He was only three or four lengths behind Faugheen as a novice hurdler.
"He'll keep novice chasing through the summer and the end game might be the Drinmore if he keeps going the right way.
"We now know that they (the racecourse) will give us nice ground and have a nice new watering system here, so you have to challenge and bring you horses here and have them right.
"It's the place to be in the summer. We're targeting jump racing as opposed to the Flat but have been lucky this week in the Flat races. The jumps prizemoney is very good here and when you look at the standard of any of the novice races here this week, it is as good as it'll be all winter and it's a tough place to win.
"Ruby couldn't really get off Townshend but Rathvinden was working really well during the week and Ruby mentioned to me that he might ride Rathvinden and I just said it would be difficult to get off Townshend. So it's my fault!
"It's Townshend's trip and wasn't Rathvinden's trip and maybe the rain that fell over the last 24 hours changes things a bit."
(TW & EM)
