Energumene is the main draw at Cork Racecourse, Mallow, on Sunday, as the six-time Grade 1 winner returns to action.
The Willie Mullins-trained inmate will contest the day’s featured €100,000 Bar One Racing Hilly Way Chase.
This will be Energumene’s first race for 593-days, not having been seen since his win in the Grade 1 William Hill Champion Chase at the Punchestown Festival in 2023.
The French-bred son of Denham Road bids to claim a third victory in the Grade 2 Bar One Racing Hilly Way Chase, following previous triumphs in the race in 2021 and 2022.
This year’s renewal of the race will boast the largest field since 2018, with eight runners set to participate, with six of them coming from Mullins’ powerful Closutton stable.
Mullins hoping to extend record
Energumene will be reunited with Cork jockey Paul Townend as he aims to extend Mullins’ incredible record in the race, having trained the winner of the Hilly Way Chase every year since 2007, with the exception of 2012 and 2018.
Among the other Mullins representatives will be Hunters Yarn and four other Grade 1 winners Dinoblue, Ferny Hollow, Appreciate It, and Blue Lord.
Patrick Mullins, Ireland’s champion amateur jockey, will ride Ferny Hollow; Mark Walsh will be aboard Dinoblue; Danny Mullins will partner Appreciate It, and Brian Hayes will take the mount on Hunters Yarn.
Despite his historic dominance in the race, and the strength of his participants for this season’s contest, Team Mullins will face a strong challenge from both the Joseph O’Brien and John Queally yards.
O’Brien’s Carriganóg team will be represented by Grade 1 William Hill Champion Chase winner at last season’s Punchestown Festival, Banbridge.
Queally will have the recent Cork winner The Banger Doyle in the field.
Con O’Keeffe aims for another Mares’ Novice Chase win
The Grade 2 Coolmore NH Sires Order Of St George Irish EBF Mares Novice Chase at Cork Racecourse on Sunday has attracted a field of eight runners.
Last season’s successful handler with Silent Approach at 33/1, Con O’Keeffe, will be represented this time around by Kilbarry Saint.
Zenta, third in the race last year, will again contest the Grade 2 event, and will be joined by sable companion Karia Des Blaises.
The 2023 winning rider Danny Mullins will partner A Law Of Her Own from the Peter Fahey yard, while Henry de Bromhead will be represented by Nara.
This race has been won by mares of the calibre of Shattered Love (2017) and Vroom Vroom Mag (2014) in the past.
Six runners contest Grade 3 Stayers Novice Hurdle
The Grade 3 Singletons Supervalu Stayers Novice Hurdle, which has been won by eight different trainers in the past eight years, will have six runners on Sunday.
Ther Gordon Elliott-trained Minella Sixo may be the headline act, but Willie Mullins will be double-handed with Luckinthecity and Just For Love.
Cork-based trainers make up the remainder of the field: Jonathan Sweeney’s Churchroad Prince; recent 40/1 winner Therellbguddaysyet from Michael O’Connor’s stable, and Kilworth’s Desmond Kenneally has Pray Tell in the line-up.
The opening race of the seven-race card gets underway at Cork Racecourse, Mallow, at 12.03pm with the Bar One Racing 3YO Maiden Hurdle.
Racing will conclude at 3.25pm with the 24-runner Greenvalley Transport Novice Handicap Hurdle.
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