Cheltenham's favourite rattles through Leopardstown Grade One.
El Fabiolo is strongly on track with his unabated chase towards next month’s Queen Mother Champion Chase with a triumphant display in the Ladbrokes Dublin Chase at Leopardstown.
Winner of last year’s Irish Arkle at this race, followed by a victory at Cheltenham Arkle, the seven-year-old had augmented his record over fences to six, showing a successful start in this year’s campaign in the Hilly Way at Cork.
Due to the weather conditions preventing him from travelling to Britain to participate in Clarence House Chase at Ascot last month, El Fabiolo was rescheduled to the Dublin Racing Festival for his final outing prior to his return to the Cotswolds, of which he made small work.
Following behind his stablemate and last year’s champion Gentleman De Mee for most of the two-mile-one-furlong racetrack, El Fabiolo (4-11) secured the first place with a big leap two fences from the finish and was in full control afterwards, only requiring some additional motivation by Paul Townend to take over by eight and a half lengths from another Willie Mullins’s trainee in Dinoblue.
Thus El Fabiolo was made the 4-9 market leader to provide Mullins with a third successive victory in the Champion Chase at the Cheltenham Festival following the clear sweep of triumphs in the currently sidelined Energumene.
Mullins stated: “He was very clean today and very good. Paul just sat very quiet on him, and he appreciated that and did his job.”
“I’m delighted all the owners are here, and they love coming to Ireland to race. They have raced in France and England extensively, but they say the experience here is way better.”
Townend said: “He’s a monster, a huge horse with loads of power.”