Yorkhill confirmed himself one of the season’s leading novice hurdlers when landing the Grade One EZ Traders Mersey Novices’ Hurdle, but he proved an awkward ride for jockey Paul Townend. He was deputising for the horse’s regular rider, Ruby Walsh, who is injured.
Trainer Willie Mullins, who was pocketing another handy sum towards his British champion trainers’ title challenge, could take comfort from the fact that while Yorkhill pulled too hard for his own good he won despite wasting energy and throwing in some tardy jumps. The six-year-old, the 30/100 favourite, carried the colours of Andrea & Graham Wylie and won by two and a quarter lengths from Le Prezien, trained by Paul Nicholls.
Mullins said: “Paul [Townend] had a horrible ride – I think we’ll put a different nose band on the horse next time. He was just too free and there were not enough other horses in the race to give him cover. I was amazed that after pulling so hard and making a mistake at the last he still won. He must have a huge engine.
“He’s bred to get three miles, yet he was able to do that [over two and a half miles]. He looks Champion Hurdle material, yet he could easily go novice chasing next season – it’s a hard one. We’d rather go Champion Hurdle or Arkle Trophy, than World Hurdle, and when Ruby got off him after winning at Cheltenham he said, ‘this horse could win the Arkle with his mouth open’.
“It’s nice to win some more prize money, but reading one paper this morning I noticed that Nicky Henderson could win the National and beat both me and Paul. So far everything is going well, so fingers crossed for the rest of the day.”
Mullins has had another ace in Douvan, who won in the third race, the Doom Bar Maghull Novices’ Chase.