Faugheen set the Dublin Racing Festival alight when the 12-year-old dug deep to win the Grade 1 Flogas Novices’ Chase at Leopardstown on Sunday.
Incredibly still competing at the highest level eight years after winning his four-year-old maiden at Ballysteen for Andrew Slattery, the son of Germany was sent off as the 13/8 joint-favourite alongside fellow pointing graduate Battleoverdoyen.
The pair held the first two positions throughout much of the 2m 5f contest, with Faugheen tracking Battleoverdoyen, before Paul Townend brought Susannah Ricci’s charge to take a share of the lead coming to the penultimate fence.
Whilst the former Champion Hurdler was far from fluent at that obstacle, something that had characterised his round of jumping throughout, he quickly regained any lost ground to rejoin the leader entering the home straight.
Once landing over the last with the lead, Faugheen had to dig deep to hold off his stable companion, Easy Game, six years his junior, with the pair eventually separated by half-a-length in the €150,000 contest.
“It’s probably one of the most special winners that I’ve ever had,” declared Mullins of what has been the horse of a lifetime.
“I should have sent him over fences last year and I got sidetracked. I didn’t want to retire him without going over fences as that is what we bought him for. Look what he can do now at 12. I should have gone earlier but there you are.
“People want to retire horses at 10, 11 or 12 but to me they have plenty of life in them if they haven’t used up the mileage as younger horses.
“They can go much longer than people think and he’s the living proof of it.
“He’s got stamina, he’s got speed, he can jump. He’s got the whole package and a will (to win) a bit like Un De Sceaux. They both want to train and get at the job, and you are really trying to not let them do too much. They have a huge attitude to racing and training.
“I would have been gutted if he was beaten today. A lot of people think if you take him on he will fold but he’s after showing in his last three races that he doesn’t.
“I’m going to enjoy today and we’ll leave any plans for another day.”
