Willie Mullins broke the record for winning-most Irish trainer when achieving 4,378 victories with Ballyburn in the Alanna Homes Champion Novice Hurdle at Punchestown on Friday.
The record was previously held by Dermot Weld and Mullins was quick to praise his predecessor: "Dermot pioneered going down to Australia and won the Belmont Stakes, an American Triple Crown race. He's done superb things, so to be mentioned alongside him is fantastic."
It was a third straight Grade 1 for star novice hurdler Ballyburn, after his emphatic victory in the Grade 1 Gallagher Novices' Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival. Whilst the six-year-old was still dominant in the Punchestown contest, he made harder work of the task in hand – having taken keen hold in the early stages, Ballyburn made a mistake at the second-last flight and had to be pushed along for the win. Jessica Harrington's Jetara finished three-and-a-quarter lengths back in second with Predators Gold back in third.
"He did it well, he's just got a huge engine," added Mullins.
"I'm looking forward to whatever he's going to do next year, whether we'll stay hurdling or go jumping fences. I'll have to have a word with connections, David Manasseh and Ronnie Bartlett.
"He's just a really exciting prospect, the way he got down there and raced over the last two furlongs.
"It looked for a stride or two 'would he get beaten', as Jetara was coming with a lovely run. We were delighted with the way our fella finished.
"He's still not mature and he's racing too much throughout the race. Once he learns to settle a bit more and use his power at the end of the race, I think he's going to be a super horse.
"We can go either direction with him. Two miles, two and a half – and on his pedigree, he can go out to three miles.
"I was just chatting to his point-to-point rider and he said he's a fabulous jumper of a fence, so we have all that to put into the mix and see what direction we go in the future.
"A few of ours ran a bit flat earlier in the day and we were wondering would this fella do the same, but he didn't. Good horses just dig deep and they do it."
Paddy Power remained unchanged at 7/2 for the Turners Novices' Chase at next year's Cheltenham Festival.
