strengthened her Cheltenham Festival claims with a front-running victory on her return to action at Punchestown.
From the family of the brilliant Champion Hurdle winner Faugheen, and similarly marked with a white blaze, the six-year-old made quite an impression on her bumper debut at Punchestown in January of last year, but had not been seen in competitive action since.
Despite the 378-day absence, Maughreen was the 4-11 favourite for her comeback in the 50,000 Euros BetVictor Graduation Bonus Series Mares Maiden Hurdle and led from pillar to post under
.
Having jumped well in the main, the Willie Mullins-trained mare was in full command rounding the home turn and while she was steadied into the final flight, she picked up again on the run-in to beat the staying-on Dee’s Lady by five lengths.
Gordon Elliott’s five-time winner Familiar Dreams, who was last seen running on the Flat at Keeneland, was best of the rest in third.
Coral make Maughreen the 3-1 favourite from 5-1 for the Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle at Cheltenham in March.
“I thought it was a huge performance for a mare having only her second run, against the experience that Familiar Dreams had,” said Mullins.
“She went out and made her own running, jumped from hurdle to hurdle. She made one or two little mistakes and got a bit close at the last, but Paul was happy to let her fiddle that. She learned.
“I’m not sure we’ll any more chances to give her a run between now and Cheltenham, we’ll see. Looking at that I don’t think she’ll need one. She should improve, I’m hoping she’ll improve from that. She took a blow and she was idling.
“All roads lead to Cheltenham.”
Maughreen was one of three winners on the card for the Mullins-Townend combination, with the treble initiated by Karbau in the 50,000 Euros BetVictor Graduation Bonus Series Maiden Hurdle.
The five-year-old was a 1-2 favourite off the back of finishing fourth on his Irish debut at Naas and duly raised his game register a 16-length success.
Mullins said: “That was a nice performance. He learned a lot from the first day and put it to good use.
“He was taking about half a length out of most of them (at his hurdles). I’m very pleased with him.
“He’s in the Supreme Novices’ and the Turners at Cheltenham. He’s a forward going type and he likes to race and jump.”
Port Joulain (11-10 favourite) completed the Closutton hat-trick with a clear-cut victory in the Festival Flexi Ticket Is Back Maiden Hurdle.
“At last he’s improving that fella. He’s probably not the simplest horse to ride, he’s very fussy with his mouth and we might try and sort that out,” Mullins added.
“Paul said when he got down and rode him he went straight for him and he was happy, but he has a very tender mouth.
“He’ll possibly be better going left-handed. I don’t know where we’ll go, he might be more Fairyhouse/Punchestown (rather than Cheltenham) but they are two right-handed tracks.
“He could make the top grade as a chaser.”