Majorborough put in a great performance to win the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Beginners Chase at Fairyhouse.
Willie Mullins opted to take his Triumph Hurdle hero straight over fences and he looked like a natural as he jumped away at the front of the action.
His stablemates Tullyhill and Asian Master kept an eye on him and it was Tullyhill – also a good performer during his time as record champion – who proved the biggest threat.
However, this challenge was short-lived as four-year-old Majborough and Mark Walsh prevailed quite clearly after the final game, winning by six and a half lengths as the easily defended even-odd favorite.
Walsh said: “He was very good. There were a few little rookie mistakes, but I wouldn’t have minded that on his first run.”
“He had to get to the front the hard way but when Paul (Townend, at Tullyhill) came to him we were doing pretty well in the last two stretches and he was good and skilful at it.”
“At his size, fences have always been the draw for him and it was a great introduction for him.”
“He praised the forward, he wasn’t enthusiastic about me. He’s got gears and he’s here to stay, so he’s someone to look forward to.”
“Willie’s other two horses in the race were no slouch, so it was a good test for him.”
Frank Berry, racing director for owner JP McManus, added: “He jumped well and Mark was happy with him.”
“We’ll see how he comes out of it and second grade at Naas (on January 5) could be an option. We can only be happy with the way he won and jumped.”
Mullins struck again when the Townend was ridden Sensible Allen (7-1) delivered an irresistible late charge to advance in the McInerney Properties Rated Novice Chase.
Meanwhile, Kim Bailey has revealed Chianti Classico suffered a serious injury during his run at Cheltenham on Friday.
The seven-year-old, who won the Festival in March and is considered a real Grand National contender – or even a potential Gold Cup horse – finished a brave third behind King Turgeon in the top weight.
He was then relegated by Ciaran Gethings and on Saturday the Andoversford trainer said on his website blog at Kimbaileyracing.com: “The vets were there in seconds and he was taken straight back to the stables.”
“Then it became clear that the poor horse had suffered an injury to his hind leg. The tendon that runs over his ankle had slipped from his leg. Pain relief was given and the only aim was to make his travel as comfortable as possible.” He is now at home.
“The poor horse feels comfortable and is being looked after wonderfully by Erika and the team here. Poor Erika is distraught, as are we all, and how terrible it is for its owners Francis Brooke and Richard Pilkington. We will assess this before making decisions, but what happened? what happened is not good.