Willie Mullins made it a hat-trick of Cesarewitch winners on Saturday as Great White Shark justified favouritism to win the Newmarket handicap.
The Closutton handler had spoken highly of the six-year-old mare pre-race as she bid to follow in the footsteps of his previous winners, 2018 champion Low Sun and last year's victor Stratum.
Under the guidance of Jason Watson, the 9/2 favourite, who has finished 10th in the Cesarewitch 12 months ago, didn't disappoint, storming clear to win by three lengths on the Rowley Mile.
Watson had ridden Stratum to victory last year and was delighted to have doubled up, especially having found the going tricky in the early stages.
Watson said: “I couldn't go early on in the race. It's always tough as everyone is trying to get in a position they want to be in and I was a bit worried I was a bit too far back. There was so many horses in front of me I wasn't too sure where I was.
“I spoke to the boys back home in Ireland, Willie and Paul Townend, and they just said keep her travelling as she loves being pushed along into the bridle and passing horses. They said keep her where she is happy as she will stay all day, and you know coming from Willie Mullins they will be fit and go through this ground and I had the horse for it.”
Trailing Great White Shark in second was top weight Sun Moon, while 50/1 chance Takarengo finished strongly to take third ahead of Not So Sleepy.
