Accolades fly as Dunguib strolls home

DUNGUIB YET again proved himself an exceptional bumper champion at Punchestown yesterday to ignite dreams of another successful raid on Cheltenham 2010.

Last month he trounced his festival opposition by 10 lengths. Yesterday it was “only” nine but the impression of an immense talent on the rise was if anything only reinforced and made reports of €1 million bids to buy him seem entirely feasible.

It was certainly enough for bookmakers to go as low as 3 to 1 about Philip Fenton’s star performer for next year’s Supreme Novices’ Hurdle. But there was also enough in this defeat of Sweeps Hill and Luska Lad to get others thinking of a much wider horizon.

Dermot Weld’s world view is famously wide with two Melbourne Cups part of the legendary trainer’s CV. Yesterday he saddled Universal Truth to finish fourth and he is in no doubt about Dunguib’s potential – even in a different code. “He is an outstanding horse in these soft conditions. But if he can go on faster ground then he would be a horse to fear in any flat race at that distance anywhere in the world,” Weld said.

“He’s a proper horse and travels so well. It would be very interesting to see what he could do on the flat. Maybe the Ascot Gold Cup is a race they should be thinking of.”

That ability to cruise off any pace was evident again yesterday and if anything Dunguib looked to hit the front too soon. Not that for one moment it looked like costing him; instead Brian O’Connell allowed him saunter home to keep Fenton’s jumping dreams alive and well.

“This horse is the real deal. He seems to have the whole package. He travels so well on the bridle but when you squeeze, by God he picks up. He is a superstar of a horse,” the trainer said. “He has been schooled plenty over hurdles and jumps well. He will have plenty more schooling before he makes an appearance over hurdles and I think he will be two-mile novice racing,” Fenton added.

Champion trainer Willie Mullins was again in good form yesterday with J’y Vole picking up the handicap chase in a 14-length canter under Ruby Walsh after The Midnight Club scored in the three-mile novice hurdle.

The Midnight Club is owned by the Cistercian College Roscrea Syndicate, Mullins’s former school, and he was ridden by another ex-pupil, the trainer’s nephew, Emmett. “He wants three miles plus over fences and I could see him being a Grand National horse in future,” said Mullins.

J’y Vole’s immediate future could include a return to her native France as this former Grade One winner relished the testing conditions to turn an apparently competitive handicap into a cakewalk. “There isn’t much for her in Ireland so I may take her to Auteuil, either for a chase or a Grade 3 hurdle,” said Mullins.

The trainer completed a treble in the concluding novice chase as Jayo jumped smoothly to comfortably get the better of Jaamid.

It was a great result for favourite backers who had started off the day licking their wounds after Montana Slim’s 25 to 1 surprise in the opportunity handicap hurdle.

- Co Meath trainer Gavin Cromwell was fined €2,000 and jockey Shane McCann banned for 21 days under non-trier rules at Punchestown yesterday after Crossdresser (66 to 1) finished third to No One Tells Me in the second race. The horse was banned from racing for 60 days after stewards decided he was not allowed run on its merits.