As racing fans feared, the cold snap has wreaked havoc on the weekend jumps racing schedule. Of the four National Hunt meetings slated to take place in Britain on Saturday afternoon, only Ffos Las remains, with Wetherby, Warwick, and Kempton all losing their battle with the sub-zero conditions.
Happily, for fans of quality jumping action, the picture looks a little rosier over in Ireland, with Saturday’s fixture at Fairyhouse and Sunday’s meeting at Punchestown set to go ahead at the time of writing. Fingers crossed!
The valuable Dan & Joan Moore Memorial Handicap Chase takes centre stage at Fairyhouse, but the biggest event of the weekend comes with the 2025 edition of the Moscow Flyer Novice Chase on Sunday afternoon.
Mullins Dominates Trainer’s Table
Renamed in honour of the legendary 13-time Grade 1 winning superstar in 2009, the Moscow Flyer Novice Hurdle first appeared on the Punchestown programme in 2003. Tom Taaffe’s King George VI Chase and Cheltenham Gold Cup winner Kicking King claimed the inaugural edition, but Willie Mullins soon began to make the race his own. First successful with Mikael D’Haguenet in 2009, the Closutton maestro now has 10 wins in the Grade 2 contest, including the last three renewals.
Willie Mullins’ Moscow Flyer Novice Hurdle Wins (2009 – 2024)
| Year | Winner | Jockey | SP |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Mikael D’Haguenet | Ruby Walsh | 4/11 |
| 2011 | Gagewell Flyer | Paul Townend | 13/8 |
| 2013 | Mozoltov | Ruby Walsh | 9/4 |
| 2014 | Vautour | Paul Townend | 1/4 |
| 2015 | Douvan | Ruby Walsh | 1/3 |
| 2016 | Min | Ruby Walsh | 1/7 |
| 2018 | Getabird | Patrick Mullins | Evens |
| 2022 | Dysart Dynamo | Paul Townend | 4/9 |
| 2023 | Impaire Et Passe | Paul Townend | 1/3 |
| 2024 | Mystical Power | Mark Walsh | 5/4 |
The sensational duo of Vautour and Douvan, who bagged back-to-back editions in 2014 and 2015, are the star names on the Mullins roll of honour. In more recent years, the training titan has claimed top spot with subsequent Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle winner Impaire Et Passe and Mystical Power, who went on to record a Grade 1 double at the Aintree and Punchestown Festivals in 2024.
Duo Head 2025 Market
A glance through the list of previous Mullins-trained winners suggests that the reigning British and Irish Champion Trainer targets this race with the most talented members of his novice team.
Two days before the race, Mullins is responsible for two of the six entries, with the market favouring the Mrs J Donnelly-owned Salvator Mundi over the unbeaten JP McManus runner Kel Histoire. Unsurprisingly, each of the runners has much to recommend them, and the duo currently occupy the top two spots in the betting.
Salvator Ready to Deliver
Mrs J Donnelly must have liked what she saw in the Listed Prix Wild Monarch at Auteuil in 2023. Having splashed out to secure the winner, Sir Gino, she also added the runner-up, Salvator Mundi, to her increasingly impressive squad.
2023 Prix Wild Monarch – Sir Gino pic.twitter.com/364wuzUfAF
— History of Horse Racing (@horsevault) January 27, 2024
Sir Gino already looks to be an inspired acquisition, with the Nicky Henderson star now unbeaten in six starts under rules and the odds-on favourite for the 2025 Arkle Challenge Trophy. Whilst Salvator Mundi was no match for Sir Gino in that Auteuil event, he went down by just 1¾. That was not a bad effort considering Sir Gino thrashed Ballyburn by 7½l in the Grade 2 Wayward Lad Novices Chase at Kempton in December.
While Sir Gino wasted no time in resuming his winning ways, Salvator Mundi’s first British venture didn’t quite go to plan. Well fancied for the 2024 Triumph Hurdle, he managed only a 17l sixth behind winning stablemate Majborough.
However, he went a little way to restoring his reputation with his subsequent display at Tipperary. Whilst expected to prove up to winning in Maiden company, he showed a mightily impressive engine to score by the best part of a furlong without coming off the bridle. This demands significantly more from the horse who currently heads the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle market, but it will be no surprise if he proves up to the task.
Back-to-Back Wins for the Green and Gold?
The market confidence in Salvator Mundi may prove to be an ominous sign. However, if any chinks emerge in his armour, stablemate Kel Histoire may be the horse to take advantage. Going in the same green and gold silks as Mystical Power, who sauntered to a 7l success in the 2024 edition, this son of Masked Marvel will bid to keep the prize in the hands of leading owner JP McManus.
A second for Mark Walsh on the card, as Mystical Power runs out readily for @WillieMullinsNH in the @SkyBet Moscow Flyer Novice Hurdle!
Mystical Power
Jigoro
James’s Gate pic.twitter.com/3PVva1JF7X— Punchestown (@punchestownrace) January 14, 2024
Whilst not boasting anything like the tall reputation of Salvator Mundi, the five-year-old has done nothing wrong in his brief career to date. Snapped up for €200,000 following a National Hunt Flat success at Saint-Brieuc, he made a winning start to life in Ireland when comfortably landing a Maiden Hurdle at Cork. His jumping lacked a little fluency that day, but he is in the right place to brush up in that department and falls into the “could be anything” category.
Last Time Out Winners Most Likely to Cause a Shock
Of the other entries, Artic Lane and Mr Rango look out of their depth on all known form. However, the same isn’t true of Sky Lord and Relieved Of Duties, who hail from the powerful yards of Henry De Bromhead and Gordon Elliott. Both runners arrive on the back of career-best wins at Cork and make plenty of appeal on pedigree. Will either runner prove up to disrupting the market leaders, or will Mullins make it four wins in a row in this informative event? Runners are set to go to post at 2:25 pm on Sunday.
