The old adage is they never come back but nobody told Energumene as the dual-Champion Chase winner successfully returned to action after a 593-day absence in Cork on Sunday.
The Willie Mullins-trained star had twice before won the Bar One Hilly Way Chase and made it a hat-trick under Paul Townend in the €100,000 feature.
Now Energumene is a general 5/1 shot to complete another hat-trick at Cheltenham in March and add to his Queen Mother Champion Chase victories in 2022 and 2023.
To do so he will have to emulate no less than Moscow Flyer, the last horse to lift the two-mile title as an 11-year-old, although there was nothing venerable about the way Energumene dominated his opposition at Cork.
Banbridge, the horse that in Energumene’s absence won the big two-mile contest at Punchestown last spring, came to challenge at the last only to unset jockey Richie Deegan.
It left the 5/4 favourite to lead home three other Mullins runners and considering the leg problems that kept him off for so long the next big date will be Monday morning to see if he’s sound.
Townend put down to “miscommunication” a blunder at the third last that was the sole blip on a performance that underlined Energemune’s sustained excellence.
“He’s not getting any younger but still has the enthusiasm for it. He’s a dream to ride because he’s so straightforward, just point him in the right direction,” the rider said.
Such an uncomplicated approach could prove a plus in any choice Townend might make between Energumene and stable companions Gaelic Warrior and El Fabiolo in any future championship reckoning.
Gaelic Warrior is a more mercurial character who’s set to return to action at Leopardstown over Christmas and bookmakers still reckon he is the biggest threat to the Champion Chase favourite Jonbon. The English star completed back-to-back wins in Sandown’s Tingle Creek the day before.
A potential clash with Jonbon in Ascot’s Clarence House next month could be on the cards next for Energumene who famously chased home Shishkin in that race almost three years ago, one of only two defeats over fences in his career.
“He didn’t look like he needed the run, galloped the whole way to the line and had looked excellent since he came in. Normally we skip Christmas [with his Hilly Way Chase winners] and the Clarence House Chase was what we did previously so we’ll see how he comes out of it before making any decision,” Mullins said.
Sunday’s other Grade Two, the Coolmore Mares Chase, went in impressive style to Gavin Cromwell’s Only By Night but there was a popular local success in the Grade Three novice hurdle as Pray Tell scored for owner-trainer Desmond Kenneally.
“I was confident coming here and this horse’s heart is unbelievable. It is lovely to train a horse like this and to win at my local track is mighty; to win a graded race is unbelievable, as I only train three horses and am farming.
“Training has gone more intense now as years ago, you could run them every second Sunday but it has gone very competitive, so you have to have them right on the day.
“This is a good horse who would have been heard of years ago only for injury. Thankfully things have been good for the last two years and if this was another horse, he mightn’t be in my yard. But I know he is good,” he said.
In other news, Aidan O’Brien failed to hit the board at Sunday morning’s Hong Kong Carnival although Kerry’s Oisin Murphy struck in style at the final big international fixture of the year at Shan Tin.
The reigning British champion jockey guided Giavellotto to a spectacular success in the €2.9m Hong Kong Vase in which O’Brien’s pair Luxembourg and Continuous didn’t make the frame.
It was a first victory at the Carnival for Murphy who overcame some interference on the turn-in before unleashing Giavellotto through the pack.
“It was all very comfortable until I got to the turn, and I had to wait. You’re worried that the race is going to get away from you, but it probably served to fill him up a little bit.
“When I got some racing room he was explosive. I was really able to enjoy the last furlong which is a really difficult thing to do in a top-level Group One,” said the 29-year-old Irishman.
O’Brien’s pair Content and Wingspan were out of the money in the Hong Kong Cup where local star Romantic Warrior completed an unprecedented three-in-a-row.
“Forget the rest, he’s the best. He’s been flying. Anyone could ride him he’s that easy, but I’m the lucky one. He’s the horse of a lifetime,” said New Zealand jockey James McDonald who also landed the big Mile contest on Voyage Bubble.
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