'Wow, this fellow could be anything' - Ballyburn leads home 1-2-3-4-5 for Willie Mullins in Gallagher Novices' Hurdle

Willie Mullins and Paul Townend have done it many times, but for Ballyburn's part-owner David Manasseh victory represented a first festival success and the tears on his cheeks epitomised exactly what it meant.

Super agent to top footballers like Gareth Bale, Jack Grealish and Jordan Pickford, Manasseh is no stranger to the festival but never did he imagine he would be the one mixing with royalty on the winner's rostrum.

"The people who are here are legends of racing," said Manasseh. "I've been coming here for 20 years with the same friends and just to have a runner is incredible. He was 1–2, so there was pressure and hype.

"Ronnie [Bartlett, joint-owner of Ballyburn] has done this before but this is my first time and it's unbelievable. I haven't spoken to Willie for five weeks. Ronnie spoke to him and chose the race and, right from the start, I told them, 'I'm just here for the journey, you're the racing people and I'll leave it with you'. I've only got two horses in training and I've got him!

"You've got to enjoy the good days in sport but I promise you it's easier managing footballers. It's been a long five weeks to get him here. With players I'm just the agent but today I'm the parent and this is on another level."

Ballyburn skips over the last on the way to an electric victoryCredit: Alan Crowhurst

After some dilly-dallying about whether Ballyburn would run in the Supreme on the opening day of the festival or the Gallagher, connections settled on the longer race and not once will they have questioned their decision.

The cornerstone of many Mullins accumulators, Ballyburn treated some high-class rivals with contempt as he tanked through the race before strolling clear.

"All we wanted was what is best for the horse," said Bartlett, winning the race for the second time after Simonsig in 2012. "I think we picked the right race in the end and he won so we'll make the most of it."

Neither Manasseh nor Bartlett wanted to think beyond raising a glass of champagne but the way Ballyburn put daylight between himself and his rivals with Townend doing nothing more than shuffling the reins had Mullins talking about Champion Hurdles and Gold Cups.

"My heart hasn't skipped a beat jumping a hurdle since Annie Power but it did there," he said. "I thought he was a good horse but I didn't view him as the horse people were saying he was until today. When he jumped the last and went away up the hill I thought, 'Wow, this fellow could be anything'.

"He could be a Champion Hurdle horse or he could be a Gold Cup horse. He could be both. With his size, scope and pedigree he's made for fences but he looks to have the ability to go for a Champion Hurdle. I'll talk to Ronnie and David and see what they have in their heads but at the moment we're just going to celebrate for a long while."

Ballyburn cantered home 13 lengths ahead of stablemate Jimmy Du SeuilCredit: Patrick McCann

Townend suggested any trip would be within Ballyburn's compass as he has the ability to gallop at any speed. "His jumping was savage and his galloping wasn’t bad either," said the star-struck rider.

"I was doing a half-speed everywhere to be honest. I just let out half an inch of rein going to the last and then getting over it was the main thing. He could be anything and he’s just a very, very talented horse. He fairly blew away the Supreme winner at Leopardstown, so the form was stacking up. It was a doddle of a performance."

Mullins managed to outdo himself as the five horses he saddled filled the first five places as he landed the Gallagher for a record-extending seventh time.

The trainer added: "I didn't realise we had finished in the first five. It was a unique achievement by Michael Dickinson to do it in the Gold Cup but it was nice to do it in a Grade 1 at Cheltenham. It was extraordinary [in 1983] to look at a man who had so much firepower in one stable and we're in the same position at the moment. It's nice to do that on a personal level."

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