“I have never seen him off the bridle!” said trainer Willie Mullins of his impressive 2/13f winner Douvan.
The 10-time winning Walk In The Park gelding has never been out of the frame in 11 races and has been headed only once, when second on his racecourse debut in France as a four-year-old.
Today’s win makes him a six-time Grade One winner and at the age of six who knows what is to come… this includes his trainer who said: “I have been telling everyone since before he went to Cheltenham last year I have never seen anything like him on our gallops. No matter what you put him beside he just comes up there with his ears pricked.”
Commenting on today’s race he added: “I was not particularly happy with his jumping today, he just wasn’t clean enough for me but Paul (Townend, jockey) said he was travelling too easily early on, once he started to go on the straight, he was much better.
“It was hard for Paul to get on him for the first time in a chase like that and knowing that there was a front runner there that was going to take them on – he had to try a balance the race out. He did it very well,
“Paul said when he gave Douvan an inch of rein he couldn’t believe how much he lengthened his stride and just breezed into the lead.
“I would love to take him to Punchestown but it might be to close – it might not be fair on him so we will see but at the moment everything is open to discussion. I suppose if Paul (Nicholls) wins the National, you might see Douvan in Perth!”
The win in the Doom Bar Maghull Novices’ Chase has increased Mullin’s lead over Paul Nicholls in the British Jump trainers’ championship.