Cesarewitch Handicap winner Great White Shark for trainer Willie Mullins will now be targeted at a hurdles campaign that will end in the grey running in the Grade One Stayers' Hurdle at the 2021 Cheltenham festival.
Ireland's champion jumps trainer created history on Saturday when his six year old landed the prestigious handicap which meant he took the spoils for the third season in a row in the race.
Victories of Low Sun (2018) and Stratum (2019) and Great White Shark this season have propelled the trainer into the history books at Newmarket and it is a great moral boost for the yard ahead of a very important jumps season.
After the mare landed the 33 runner race at the weekend she has now been bumped up 10lb by the handicapper to a mark of 96 on the flat which gives the grey a career high mark.
With that in mind Mullins will now focus her over hurdles this season with him hoping her superb run on the flat can propel her to great things over staying distances over hurdles.
🦈 The Shark eats up the ground
— Racing TV (@RacingTV) October 10, 2020
🏆 2018: Low Sun
🏆 2019: Stratum
🏆 2020: Great White Shark
The master of Cloustton @WillieMullinsNH records a third straight win in the Cesarewitch with Great White Shark powering to success under @Jason7Watson1 at @NewmarketRace pic.twitter.com/ttEVlCzQDn
(Credit Racing Post) Mullins said: "I just received a WhatsApp message this morning [Monday] from someone telling me I was the first trainer to win that race three times in a row. I had no idea.
"I know I only had one runner in the race, but that's just the way it worked out. We had a few entries, but wanted to split them up between Newmarket and the Curragh.
"I knew Great White Shark was ready to run a very big race because of the way she worked during the week. David [Mullins] rode Royal Illusion in the piece of work and he was delighted with her, but Great White Shark worked better.
"The great thing about Saturday was that Malcolm Denmark was able to be there to see it. If the race was in Ireland he wouldn't have been able to go."
Talking on what next for the mare Mullins added: "She is improving all the time and she was very good on Saturday. I will have a look and see what there is left for her on the Flat, but a lot more doors have been opened for her now.
"We'll certainly have a look at the Stayers' Hurdle route and give it some consideration. She is rated 145 over hurdles, so she will have to improve again. She ran a cracker in the Martin Pipe at Cheltenham in March with Donie McInerney."