Paul Townend sides with Storm Heart in Spring Juvenile - but has he got it right this time?

Sir Gino issued a monumental statement of intent on Trials day at Cheltenham and it will take an astronomical performance to knock him off the top of the Triumph Hurdle market, but there is an endless supply of unknown quantities rocking up for the first juvenile Grade 1 of the season.

Willie Mullins has won the race six times in all and runs six in his quest for win number seven. Paul Townend got it wrong last year. Well, not really. He chose Lossiemouth over Gala Marceau but endured a nightmare passage and had to settle for second.

This time he has let his heart rule, or Storm Heart if you will. He burst clear to win a poor Punchestown maiden hurdle by 22 lengths. It might not have been a good race, but he looked a very good juvenile. He had to ride him here after that.

Majborough was the subject of a glowing school report from Mullins back in November during stable tour season, but his first public appearance is here and we know very little about him. It is a big ask to win this on his Irish debut.

Bunting and Highwind both won reasonably impressively on their hurdling bows, but it was the performance of Kargese which really caught my eye.

She failed by three quarters of a length to reel in Kala Conti in a Grade 2 over course and distance at Christmas, but did so much wrong during the race that she must have a huge amount of ability to have gotten so close. If she learns from that and settles, she is very interesting at around 6-1.

She has a very similar profile to last year's winner Gala Marceau, who was also second in the same Grade 2 at Christmas before going one better here.

Intellotto is the other one of significant interest. Joseph O'Brien won this in 2019 and 2020 with Sir Erec and A Wave Of The Sea, and his latest challenger did most things right when winning a maiden hurdle here at Christmas.

Two of the last three winners of the Spring Juvenile Hurdle have gone on to land the Triumph Hurdle and no trainer other than Mullins, O'Brien and Elliott has won it since the Dessie Hughes-trained Guitar Pete in 2014. That is unlikely to change in 2024.

What they say

Willie Mullins, trainer of Bunting, Ethical Diamond, Highwind, Majborough, Storm Heart and Kargese
Paul [Townend] has elected to ride Storm Heart, who was very impressive in winning at Punchestown on New Year’s Eve. He jumped well and was very professional. With normal improvement he'd have a great chance here. Majborough is a French import who is a real fine horse and looks a chasing type rather than a juvenile hurdler. He has a big future in front of him and we'll get to see how good he is here. Highwind might have needed the run at Punchestown, but still won. He was jumping well through the race until a horse made a mistake in front of him and he took his eye off his own jumping a little afterwards. If he keeps it together, he could improve to be in the firing line. He did impress me the first day. Kargese looked a very hard ride in Leopardstown the last day. If she has learned to relax, and Danny [Mullins] will know her a lot better this time, she's another with a chance. For a horse to come out and jump and finish like Bunting did at Limerick was very good. He has every chance of going on from there. Ethical Diamond disappointed us at Christmas because he'd gone so far out. It might have been ground related, he's still a maiden and the chances are he'll still be a maiden over hurdles after this, but he wants to show us a lot more.

Joseph O'Brien, trainer of Intellotto
He won nicely over this course and distance at Christmas. This is obviously a significant step up in class, but we're still hoping for a good run.

Gordon Elliott, trainer of Kala Conti
She has barely put a foot wrong in her whole career and has only been beaten once. That was narrowly too at Fairyhouse, where she was only collared close home. She had a few of these behind her when she won at Christmas and, while this is a deeper race, she goes there with a big chance.

More on the Dublin Racing Festival:

1.20 Leopardstown: Predators Gold heads strong Willie Mullins challenge in first Grade 1 of the Dublin Racing Festival

2.25 Leopardstown: The one non-Mullins banker? Confidence high as unbeaten Marine Nationale takes on powerhouse stables

3.35 Leopadrstown: Bullish Paul Townend eyes 'sweet revenge' as Galopin Des Champs takes aim at Fastorslow

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