The Willie Mullins trained Adamant Approach gained a memorable eleventh career win in the Pertemps Qualifier at Leopardstown in mid-January. It was his sixth win in the space of nine months but what was all the more remarkable was that he defied a career high hurdle rating at the ripe old age of 13. However, Adamant Approach had been in the public eye long before his current run of form began.
In common with many of Willie Mullins's horses, Adamant Approach began his career in a bumper. It was on February 6th 2000 at Leopardstown, the same day that his illustrious stable mate Florida Pearl gained the second of his four wins in the Hennessy Cognac Gold Cup, that Adamant Approach made his debut. He was sent off as the joint favourite with Risk Assessor, who himself developed into a classy performer, but on the day Adamant Approach easily prevailed by 5½l. After that impressive performance he was considered a leading contender for that seasons Cheltenham Bumper, but he missed the race allowing his stable mate, Joe Cullen, to prevail.
However, the significant promise of his first racecourse appearance was not immediately fulfilled over hurdles the following season, far from it. Despite being sent off at as short as 1/3 and 4/11, he failed to get his head in front in his five starts during that season. But the perseverance of his connections would be rewarded the very next season.
It was October 2001 that Adamant Approach easily broke his duck over hurdles in a moderate Fairyhouse maiden hurdle. Following that win he ran creditably in a handful of handicap hurdles before he caught the eye when finishing a promising fourth in the ultra competitive Ladbroke Handicap Hurdle at Ascot. That pleasing effort saw him sent off the well fancied third favourite for the 2002 Pierse Hurdle. Under Ruby Walsh, the fast improving eight-year-old ran out the authoritative 1½l winner from Native Scout. That performance encouraged Willie Mullins to step him up in class to the Grade 2 Deloitte and Touche Novice Hurdle the following month. On that occasion he found Like-A-Butterfly to be 11 lengths too good for him. However, Mullins was quietly confident that his charge would be capable of closing that gap when they re-opposed on better ground in the Supreme Novice Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival.
Like-A-Butterfly had been unbeaten in her seven previous racecourse outings before Cheltenham and was understandably considered to be the Irish banker of the whole Cheltenham meeting, eventually being sent off at 7/4. Adamant Approach on the other hand was allowed to start at 12/1. However, these odds looked set to be floored approaching the final hurdle as Adamant Approach had been pushed into a narrow lead with Ruby Walsh yet to raise his whip, only for him to take a liberty at the flight and fall, allowing Like-A-Butterfly to grittily maintain her unbeaten record. Opinion was almost universal that Willie Mullins’ charge would have won had he stood up but alas, one of Adamant Approach few opportunities to win at the highest level had passed him by. The following month, he twice attempted to redeem himself at the highest level at the Punchestown Festival, but the best he could do was finish third in the Champion Novice Hurdle. Many people were disappointed that he failed to fare better at Punchestown, but when one considers that he started the season with a rating of 111, it would be very harsh indeed to say that he had anything other than a hugely successful season.
The following season, the connections of Adamant Approach opted to send their pride and joy over the larger obstacles. He got off the mark in that sphere at the second attempt at Punchestown before being thrown into the deep end in the Arkle Trophy at the Cheltenham Festival. Unfortunately, he got no further than the second obstacle on that occasion but he got back on the winning trail later that month when taking a Cork novice chase in good style. Three weeks later, a freakishly small turn-out for the Grade 1 Powers Gold Cup resulted in Adamant Approach being sent off at 30/100 to account for his two rivals. But in a cruel turn of events, he fell at the penultimate fence when in front and firmly in command. It was undoubtedly a bitter pill to swallow for his connections having had Grade 1 glory snatched from their hands on two occasions in just over a year.
It is likely that the fall in Fairyhouse affected his confidence as amazingly, he failed to win a race during the next two seasons. But it has been his prolonged campaign that began in October 2005 and continues to this day that has truly endeared him to the racing public. He has been constantly on the go since that time, running a total of 23 times without a break of more than eight weeks between any two outings.
The first indication that he was about to come into form came on his second start of the season in the competitive Greatwood Handicap Hurdle at Cheltenham where he finished a promising fourth to the ill-fated Lingo. A poor effort in the Pierse Hurdle was followed by a highly credible third in the County Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival. He finished in the frame in competitive handicap hurdles at both the Fairyhouse Easter Festival and the Punchestown Festival on his next two starts and at this point, nobody would have thought it premature to let him out to grass for the summer, but his connections persevered and were handsomely rewarded during the summer months and beyond.
He gained his first win for over three years when easily prevailing in a Navan conditions hurdle in May and he followed that effort up with two solid runs in the Grade 3 Grimes Hurdle at Tipperary and the Galway Hurdle. He continued to run with credit throughout the summer months until he took advantage of the eclipse of Ansar to easily prevail in a conditions hurdle race at Killarney in early September. Later that month, he showed his abundant versatility by making his return to chasing after a 22 month sabbatical a winning one when easily prevailing in a valuable handicap chase at the Listowel Harvest Festival. The following month, Adamant Approach completed a ‘grand slam’ of wins over hurdles, fences and now on the flat when he won a 14f qualified riders race at Galway by an easy seven lengths under a patient Patrick Mullins ride.
On the eve of his thirteenth birthday, Adamant Approach showed that he was far from finished when easily winning a Punchestown handicap hurdle under Richie Kiely. That win resulted in him being raised to a career high hurdle rating of 140 and when he was declared to run in a three mile Pertemps Handicap Hurdle Qualifier at Leopardstown, few people gave him a serious chance. At 13 years of age, he was attempting to defy a career high mark over a trip that he had never attempted, as well as having the inexperienced 17-year-old, Patrick Mullins in the plate with the likes of Ruby Walsh and Tony McCoy in opposition. However, despite all of these obstacles to overcome, both horse and rider put in exemplary performances to get up in the dying strides to snatch victory by a head.
It is a testament to the skill of Willie Mullins as a trainer, as well as Adamant Approach's constitution, that he has remained sound and in top form for as long as he has. To finish in the frame in handicap hurdles at the ultra competitive festival meetings at Cheltenham, Fairyhouse and Punchestown in the space of less than six weeks at the age of 12 is a remarkable achievement. The fact that he immediately followed this feat up with a campaign that has yielded six wins thus far is a testament to his durability in this age of top National Hunt horses having just a handful of runs each season. His hard work has been rewarded as Adamant Approach was voted the Horse Of The Year at the Irish Stablestaff Association Awards in late January and then once again showed how smart a performer he is by finishing a highly creditable third in the Pertemps Handicap Hurdle Final at the Cheltenham Festival in mid-March.
Info supplied by Horse Racing Ireland - Updated March 2007