Kemboy shows flame still burns brightly at Fairyhouse
Multiple Grade One winner Kemboy has turned back the years with a heartwarming win in the tote fantasy Bobbyjo Chase at Fairyhouse.
The Willie Mullins-trained gelding was the top-rated chaser in training, having won the Savills Chase, Aintree Bowl and Punchestown Gold Cup a few seasons ago under a retired Ruby Walsh.
Victories have been harder for him since then, most recently at the 2021 Irish Gold Cup, but he made the most of his vision being lowered in this third tier competition.
Kemboy proved he retains plenty of ability by finishing second in both the Down Royal Champion Chase and Savills Chase earlier this season and with far less on his plate than three weeks ago when he finished behind esteemed stablemate Galopin at the Irish Gold Cup Des Champs finished sixth.
Allowed to dominate up front in the hands of Paul Townend, the 11-year-old dug deep after being challenged and had just enough in the tank to beat Vanillier, who was making good process for the Grand National, by a half to ward off length.
View race replay
Unlimited race replays of all British and Irish races
Access to exclusive features for everyone FREE – No monthly subscription fee
Sign in with your existing Sporting Life, Sky Bet or Sky Games account. If you don’t have any of these, it’s complete FREE register!
“That was good, I figured a drop in grades at that point in his career probably wouldn’t hurt,” Mullins said of the 15/8 favorite.
“He was careful with some of his jumps and then got some really good jumps. He jumped well when it really mattered in the end.
“The dry conditions helped him a lot. I could try to pick another race like that. The Imperial Call Chase in Cork (9 April) could be a possibility.
“The Aintree Bowl is a possibility, but you’re going to meet Grade One horses there and we might as well stay under the radar. This is his first win in two years and I would prefer to keep him in a lower class at his age and be competitive.
“Then we could try to land at Punchestown where he had a great day with Ruby Walsh, if he could turn back the years maybe he could do it again.”
A few significant jumping errors weren’t enough to prevent Zenta from making a successful Irish debut for Mullins in the Grade Three Norman Colfer Winning Fair Juvenile Hurdle.
The Auteuil winner was the 4/9 favorite to take third class gold on her first start for owner JP McManus, and she traveled heavily in the slipstream of the lead Hypotenus for much of the extended two-mile competition.
In the penultimate and final hurdles she was anything but fluid but still good enough to score by three lengths. Betfair left their odds on the Triumph Hurdle at Cheltenham unchanged at 20/1.
Mullins said: “She jumped great and then things just fell apart but I think she will improve. She’s basically a good jumper and maybe it was just being in front.
“She is a nice mare and I think she will improve. She’ll be heading for the Triumph hurdle I suppose.
“If she just keeps jumping together, she’s going to win a lot of awards.”
“She’s one we’ve been looking forward to. We kind of had to rush her preparations to get her ready for this, but we felt like she needed it if she was going to walk on water.
“She passed the test, she didn’t pass it with flying colours, but she passed it.”
More from Sporting Life
Play safer
We are committed to safer gambling. Recommended bets are recommended for those over the age of 18 and we strongly encourage readers to only wager what they can afford to lose.
If you are concerned about your gambling please contact the National Gambling Helpline / GamCare on 0808 8020 133.
For more support and information, see begambleaware.org And Gambling Therapy.org.