Following previous greats.
The Willie Mullins/Rich Ricci charge Getabird coasted to victory in the Grade 2 Sky Bet Moscow Flyer Hurdle in Punchestown on Saturday under Paddy Mullins.
The Mullins/Ricci combination have a rich history in this race, with five of the last six renewals now having gone the way of the champion handler.
Each of the last four winners have gone on to big things in the Cheltenham festival in March.
Douvan and Vautour landed the spoils in renewals past. The race proved the perfect preparation for the pair, as they went on to win the Supreme Novices’ hurdle race in Cheltenham in its aftermath.
Connections will be hopeful this highly rated 6-year-old soars to similar heights when the Pretsbury Park opener rolls around.
Bookmakers and racing fans like obviously feel the horse has the potential to do just that, with his odds slashed from 8/1 this morning to 3/1 in the aftermath of this impressive performance.
Getabird had been tipped for big things this season, and he’s justified the hype so far. He had a 100% strike rate in his 3 races up to this one, and that wasn’t about to change today.
He jumped like a stag from pillar to post for Paddy Mullins, and quickened superbly away from a highly rated field after the last flight. Gordon Elliot’s Mengli Khan was left trailing in his wake a couple of lengths behind.
Impressive! Getabird scoots to victory in the Grade 2 Sky Bet Moscow Flyer Novice Hurdle at @punchestownrace: pic.twitter.com/oa8ow98hOF
— At The Races (@AtTheRaces) January 13, 2018
The horse’s performance made his jockey’s pre-race suffering worth it, with Mullins dropping from his normal 11st 6lb weight to 11st 2lb to take the ride, in the absence of Paul Townend.
Getabird is an absolute machine.
Paddy Mullins starved for the week to make that. What a jockey.— Garreth Porter (@PorterG94) January 13, 2018
“Patrick getting down to 11st 2lb paid off,” said Paddy’s father Willie.
Paddy pared himself down for the Clonsutton yard. He did it for the love of it.
“A great day at the office. A great day for dad, because we need to make money up on Gordon,” he said to the At The Races cameras.
That’s a team.
Meanwhile in the U.K, the Malcolm Jefferson-trained seven-year-old Waiting Patiently bolstered his claims for the Cheltenham festival, with a devastating display across the waters in Kempton.
The Brian Hughes ridden 13/8 favourite was never troubled in the 32Red Casino Chase at Kempton Park, and quickened away from his rivals to win by 8 lengths in the end.
https://twitter.com/JakeJohns/status/952181269848363008
He’s now as low as 6/1 for the Ryanair Chase in March.
Two to watch.
