Gaelic Warrior Impresses On Chase Debut

Grade 1 winner Gaelic Warrior (5g Maxios - Game Of Legs, by Hernando) made an impressive start over fences in Saturday’s Beginners Chase at Punchestown.

Willie Mullins’ charge bolted up on his first three starts last season, before finishing second in the Grade 1 Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle at Cheltenham and later impressed in the Grade 1 Novice Hurdle at Punchestown. Sent off favourite on his chasing debut, he led from the fourth fence and boasted a 28 length advantage with three fences to jump. He cantered home 15 lengths clear of his rivals.

“It was a very good performance,” Mullins later said, with impressed bookmarkers shortening the Mrs Ricci-owned winner for both the Brown Advisory and Turners Chase.

Gaelic Warrior was bred by the Niarchos family out of Game Of Legs, whose colt foals by Maxios sold for €46,000 and €60,000 the last two years.

At Huntingdon later that afternoon, useful hurdler Sashenka (7m Maxios - Sarabia, by One Cool Cat) also made a successful start over fences for Dominic Ffrench Davis.

The N Pickett-owned mare was sent off favourite for the Mares’ Novices’ Chase and produced a challenge at the second last under Ben Ffrench Davis. She was ridden to lead on the run-in and kept on well to win by two lengths and three quarters, with the front pair finishing 30 lengths clear of the rest of the field.