Star novice hurdler Majborough swept the field on Thursday in the Punchestown novice chase as the five year old got redemption for his Arkle loss at Cheltenham.
Trained by Willie Mullins, and owned by J.P McManus, Majborough found himself the favourite for the Arkle at the Cheltenham festival as the ½ favourite, but with a lack of concentration, and a bad race in terms of jumping all together, it was the final fence which ultimately cost Mark Walsh and Majborough the victor, finishing third in a very disappointing race.
However with his entry into the Punchestown novice chase alongside Gavin Cromwell’s only by night, Willie Mullins and Mark Walsh saw their once unbeatable novice sweep the field in Ireland, and take the race by 14 lengths in a very well run race. Although tio say it was a perfect race isn't entirely true.
Like we saw in the Arkle at Cheltenham back in March, Majborough’s concentration was his main falter for his poor jumping. With poor jumps, effectively running through fences, and taking trips over fences across any side of them, his jumping let him down massively, and cost him a very easy win at the festival. But despite his win at Punchestown, Majborough’s jumping was clearl;y a big issue, and his concentration was still a potential falter. With a perfect race run early, and the win in his sights, it was clear the horse took the last three fences too easily, and was often seen jumping lopsided and very left on the final three. His concentration and jumping were not great, and he was lucky not to have taken the fence with him on a few of the jumps, a problem he will need to fix for next season.
With all the jumping problems, and Willie Mullins clearly seeing a problem with the concentration during his jumping, the issue of not jumping straight, and taking the jumps too late and heavy, there could be some big changes for next season. Cheekpieces of blinkers may be a tester for the Mullins team next year, as anything could be a help for his concentration down the track. The jumping will be improved over the break, and the emphasis on straight and fluid jumps will be the number one thing for the Mullins team for next season.
Majborough is one of those loved horses who could be a future star in races like the coveted Champion Chase, but as of now, despite his young age, there is some issue that has been covered up by his success, that could have cost him a lot more than he would have wanted.
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