3 minute read

Mullins’ mare goes one better than last year.

Concertista  maintained Willie Mullins' 100 per cent record in the five runnings of the Daylesford Mares' Novices' Hurdle at Cheltenham with a wide-margin success.

Just touched off by stablemate Eglantine Du Seuil 12 months ago, Concertista went into this race still a maiden – but put that right in emphatic fashion.

Daryl Jacob brought the six-year-old, owned by Simon Munir and Isaac Souede, with a powerful run in the straight and the 9-2 chance shot past stablemate Dolcita as she and stormed up the hill to win by 12 lengths.

Rayna's World passed a host of rivals on the run-in to grab third place for trainer Phil Kirby and jockey Thomas Dowson at odds of 100-1.

Mullins said: "She hadn't won a race since winning on the Flat in France in 2017 – I'm not sure whose been training her! That's a nice way to break the duck, anyway.

"I didn't think she'd go on the ground and I was afraid the race might be too short for her, but she's won impressively.

"She obviously ran very well in the race last year and that form looks good, with the fourth (Black Tears) running well in the handicap on Tuesday.

"Hopefully our mare will be a good mare now. I'm delighted to win the race again."