King Rasko Grey ran out an emphatic winner of the Turners Novices’ Hurdle for Willie Mullins and Paul Townend.
King Rasko Grey carried the colours of Audrey Turley, whose brown and yellow quartered silks are most closely associated with dual Cheltenham Gold Cup winner Galopin des Champs.
The late setback that ruled Galopin des Champs out of this year’s Cheltenham Festival would have been a blow for connections, but King Rasko Grey provided a moment to celebrate, scoring by two and a half lengths from Act of Innocence, who was representing the same team responsible for Tuesday’s Supreme Novices’ Hurdle winner Old Park Star.
Zeus Power, a 50/1 shot, stayed on into third close home, while No Drama This End, the 5/2 favourite in a 21-runner field, never threatened to land a blow and was pulled up before the final flight.
King Rasko Grey was initially sent into the lead but Townend allowed the keen Skylight Hustle and I’ll Sort That to stride on, settling in a handy position towards the inside.
He made a smooth, eye-catching move between a weakening Skylight Hustle and Taurus Bay at the top of the hill, and Townend soon had the leader, I’ll Sort That, firmly in his sights. He jumped into the lead two out and, despite facing a stern challenge from Act Of Innocence on the run to the final flight, he found plenty up the hill to assert.
He was a second winner of the meeting for Townend, who had won the Champion Hurdle on Lossiemouth for his boss, and a third for Mullins who also landed the Arkle with Kargese.
King Rasko Grey had finished a close-up third behind Talk The Talk in the Grade 1 Tattersalls Ireland Novice Hurdle at the Dublin Racing Festival and was the choice of Townend from Mullins’ six-strong team in the Turners.
Mullins said: “I couldn’t believe he was 11/1. People were asking me for one under the radar and I never dreamt he would be anything like 11/1. He was of my horses I thought had a real good chance of winning coming over. You never have a banker coming to Cheltenham, but I thought he would be one of the ones that would be 2/1 or 3/1 max after his run at Leopardstown.
“I said after the race he would step forward, and knowing what I had done with him and it worked. We just got down to serious work with him.”
The choice for Townend wasn’t a difficult one according to Mullins, who added: “I think Paul went for him straight away and there was no debate. I thought the same as we were thinking of him for the Supreme all season. When we decided not to go for the Supreme we knew this fella was head and shoulders above a lot of the others.”
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