A POTENTIAL Willie Mullins superstar the trainer has dubbed ‘so slick’ has been slashed for Cheltenham after just one run.
The brilliantly-bred Davy Crockett was an easy winner on his hurdles debut at Galway on Monday.
Owner JP McManus, left, and trainer Willie Mullins, right, with Mark Walsh after Davy Crockett won well on his hurdles debut at GalwaySportsfile
Sent off just 1-2 under jockey Mark Walsh, Davy Crockett, who is by Guineas and Derby winner Camelot and out of Mullins’ awesome Annie Power, won by two-and-a-half lengths.
He extended well when out in the clear but still left plenty of room for improvement in the jumping department.
Mullins liked what he saw though – and so did bookies, as they cut him to 14-1 joint-fav from as big as 33s for the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle.
Davy Crockett, who is owned by JP McManus and Susan Magnier and a half-brother to dual Grade 1 winner Mystical Power, heads the market for the Festival opener next March with Mullins’ Champion Bumper winner Bambino Fever.
While he could revert to the Flat, Mullins confirmed his more immediate future lies over hurdles.
And he set out an early target his team will work back from – possibly with a view to rocking up at Cheltenham next March.
The Closutton boss told Racing TV: “For a horse only having his second run on a track, he was very good.
“He was so slick with his jumping apart from at the second last.
“Those novices are so fast, he was going faster than the others and he just missed it.
“But he was perfect at the last and he looks a real nice prospect with his pedigree.
“I want to plan a path to the (Grade 2) Royal Bond in November.
“He’s not the biggest horse – not a chasing type – but he looks a real hurdler.
“He’s more a Flat/hurdle type horse and maybe we could go back on the Flat with him.
“But the way he jumped there I’d say he’ll make a fine hurdler.
“A lot of horses in his position would have thrown in the towel after the sticky jump but he didn’t.”
Gold Cup-winning jockey Walsh was just as complimentary.
He said: “He was a bit novicey. We were trapping down to the second last and Davy Crockett got a bit unsighted and just galloped into it.
“I loved the way he picked up after that and winged the last. Plenty of improvement likely.
“He had been keen in his bumper but settled grand until he got a bit lit up in second half of the race.
“He’ll learn in time, he’s not a big horse but there’s an engine in there.”
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