Boston Bob enters the frame for Cheltenham

RACING: THE DECISION of leading British owner Graham Wylie to send a team of seven horses to Willie Mullins this season got a Grade One pay-off at Navan yesterday as Boston Bob graduated to top-flight success.

Ruby Walsh powered the 9 to 4 shot to a decisive defeat of the odds-on Mount Benbulben in the Navan Novice Hurdle, a performance that has propelled Boston Bob into the Cheltenham festival picture, and marked a first significant win in Ireland for Wylie.

The north of England businessman, who made his fortune from the Sage computer software brand, drastically reduced his bloodstock interests during the summer after the suspension of trainer Howard Johnson due to breaches of horse welfare rules.

Wylie now has horses with British champion trainer Paul Nicholls and sent seven to the Irish champion Mullins including Boston Bob. The horse is now two-for-two in Ireland and is as low as 12 to 1 for the Albert Bartlett Hurdle at Cheltenham in March. “He jumped a lot better this time as they were going faster. He relished the trip and will probably go up in the new year. He’ll be entered in both the Neptune and the Albert Bartlett,” Mullins said afterwards.

“We worked him about a month to six weeks ago and couldn’t believe what he did for a big, old-fashioned chasing type. We thought if he could reproduce that on the track we would have a racehorse,” he added.

Boston Bob’s task was helped with Mount Benbulben’s tendency to jump markedly right through the race and the favourite’s trainer Gordon Elliott said his horse “was definitely feeling something. We will have him checked out.”

Mullins and Walsh had earlier scored a Grade Two success in the Tara Hurdle as the 1 to 3 Zaidpour bounded away from his three opponents. The performance earned last season’s Royal Bond winner ante-post quotes for the World Hurdle and the Champion Hurdle.

“He is starting to do what I thought he’d do last year. He is doing a lot of work on the sand and that seems to be paying off. He’s holding his action better,” Mullins said.

“The most important thing for him is to be able to keep his action. He lost it last year. I doubt he’ll run at Christmas. We’ll find something over two and a half in the new year. He’ll have no problem going back in trip either as he is well up to speed,” he added.