Mystical Power Whets the Appetite for the Upcoming Jumps Season
Summertime in British and Irish horse racing is dominated by the flat sphere. The top jump racing horses are usually enjoying their summer holidays in the paddocks, as they prepare to face a season tackling races at meetings such as the Aintree Grand National or the Cheltenham Festival.
There are some so-called ‘summer horses’ still plying their trade across Britain and Ireland, where the Galway Festival, in particular, brings some big-named runners back to the track for an early start to the season ahead.
Mystical Power Lays Down a Marker
It was at this year’s aforementioned Galway Festival that one horse laid down a marker for what should be an exciting year for a Willie Mullins’ trained young starlet. Those betting on horse racing in the Cheltenham Festival ante-post will see that Galway winner Mystical Power is now priced at +1600 for the Supreme Novices in 2024, and he has attracted attention from many fans and experts alike.
Today’s racing results will not include many horses that are likely to star at Cheltenham next March, but as Mystical Power proved at Galway, there can be some potential future stars taking the first steps of their careers that are worth taking notice of.
The Son of a Champion
Mystical Power’s rise is not unexpected, as the four-year-old bay is the son of the brilliant jumps mare Annie Power. Of course, the ability of a mother is not always passed down to their offspring, but Mystical Power has already shown that he has inherited at least some of his mother’s ability in his two races to date.
Annie Power was one of the greatest mares to ever grace the racecourse, winning 15 of her 17 career starts, including five at the highest level in races such as the prestigious Cheltenham Champion Hurdle and the Aintree Hurdle.
Mystical Power may have had just two starts so far, but his devastating win on his hurdles debut at Galway could hardly have been more impressive, and a bright future awaits the JP McManus-owned horse.
The beautiful and successful mare Annie Power taking a walk in the stream at Willie Mullins yard. Flickr/CC
Remembering Annie Power’s Famous Fall
One thing that Mystical Power and his connections will be hoping to avoid throughout his career is the fall of his magnificent mother at Cheltenham. In one of the most famous moments in Festival history, Annie Power approached the final hurdle in the 2015 Mares Hurdle with the race at her mercy, but tripped on landing and fell to the floor.
It was a result that was greeted with despair by backers and jubilation by bookmakers, but Annie Power would have her redemption by returning the following year to win the Champion Hurdle.
Mystical Power still has a long way to go to match the ability of his mother, but the son of the world-famous stallion Galileo has made the perfect start to his career and a bright future surely lies ahead.
Given his parents’ exploits, he is going to be burdened with huge expectations as his career progresses, but if he has even half of the ability of his mother, he could become a legend in his own right.
