Lecky Watson was something of an unexpected Willie Mullins-trained winner of the Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase at Cheltenham, as his better-fancied stablemates faltered.
The chestnut was a 20-1 shot under Sean O’Keeffe, with Mullins also responsible for Ballyburn, Quai De Bourbon and Dancing City in an all-Irish-trained field of seven.
Ballyburn was the 4-7 favourite, but a jumping error put paid to his chances, and in the end it was Lecky Watson who seized the opportunity and stayed on best to repel Gordon Elliott’s Stellar Story by four lengths.
Of the winner, Mullins said: “He has been improving all season and we just told Sean to take him a bit wider and keep out of trouble. He kept it very simple and it was an excellent ride.
Lecky Watson
“He hadn’t run over three miles previously this season, but that wasn’t any sort of plan. It was just a case of getting them out and running them and we always thought he was going to be a stamina horse.
“We had a good team of horses there and I’d have probably put him in fourth of our team. I thought Dancing City was travelling well until he made the mistake and I thought Quai De Bourbon was travelling really well when he unshipped his rider.
“I hadn’t been planning that (Gold Cup route), but we’ll have to go that way now. It’s amazing as you have to come to the races and turn up and find out. You can have all the dreams you want at home, but it’s out there that they’ll tell you what they’re really worth and this fella is obviously improving all the time.
“They’re all nice horses to look forward to next season.”
Of the vanquished favourite Ballyburn, he said: “He was gone early – he wasn’t travelling in my mind, then he made the bad mistake. The game was up early for him, I thought.
“I might go back in trip with him and maybe make more use of him. I don’t think he enjoyed being put in the box seat there and they weren’t going fast enough for him.”
O’Keeffe had previously ridden two Festival winners for Mullins, including Galopin Des Champs in the 2021 Martin Pipe.
Mullins added: “Sean comes in and rides out most days, there’s plenty of horses to go around and he’d be third or fourth jockey and rides his share of winners every year.
Winning jockey Sean O’Keeffe
“He’s a very quiet, understated rider but he gets the job done and is very good over a fence.
“Winners here are very hard to get – it’s very hard to get rides at Cheltenham, never mind winners – so I’m delighted for him.”
Elliott, who also saddled third-placed Better Days Ahead, said: “I was hoping Stellar Story might do what he did last year (in the Albert Bartlett) and in fairness both horses have run really good races – the winner just kept going.
“We’ve no excuse, the winner was good and has won well. We’re happy with both of ours.
“Better Days Ahead might be a horse for the Irish National, while Stellar Story might be one for Punchestown.”
