Class shines through as El Fabiolo canters to Leopardstown win

El Fabiolo made the most of having his sights lowered with a wide-margin victory in the QuinnBet Hurdle at Leopardstown.

A four-time Grade One winner over fences, the Willie Mullins-trained nine-year-old successfully reverted to the smaller obstacles at Punchestown on New Year’s Eve, but finished tailed off after making much of the running in last month’s Irish Champion Hurdle.

Dropping down in class on his return to the Foxrock circuit, El Fabiolo was the 2-7 favourite to claim a 10th career win and he predictably outclassed his rivals with a dominant 21-length success under Paul Townend. His stablemate Soir De Garde came from a long way back to beat Maxxum to the runner-up spot.

Townend said: “I thought if I could hold him for some bit of the race it would be a help, but when they were going that slow I just let him at it because I didn’t want to get into too much of a fight with him.

“He seems to be enjoying life. He took on his hurdles really nicely and he’s won really well.

“I think he could be competitive at a good level. It was a huge ask for him the last time, over two miles especially.

“I think they can farm plenty of nice races with him.”

When asked if he could ever see El Fabiolo going back over fences, the jockey added: “Never say never. On his last run over fences he was running a cracker, but he just made another mistake. I think I would have (gone very close).

“The ability was always there, but the fences were just getting in the way!

“I think he’s a happy horse over hurdles at the moment. As I said you never say never, but I couldn’t see it myself.”