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Dancing City made it a winning start to the Dublin Racing Festival for trainer Willie Mullins in the Grade 1 Nathaniel Lacy & Partners Solicitors Novice Hurdle at Leopardstown.

The unexposed seven-year-old was the outsider of the six runners but he always travelled strongly under jockey Danny Mullins, conceding his early lead to the progressive mare Jetara, who ran very keenly under Rachael Blackmore. As the group turned for home, Dancing City came back to the fore alongside favoured Predators Gold, and appeared to appreciate the step up in trip, finishing well to claim the victory ahead of his stablemate with Jetara holding on for third. 

In a post race interview with Racing TV, Danny Mullins said: "It was a small field but you could make a very strong case for every one in it. He probably disappointed the first day, Paul rode him at Navan and I got to win on him the next day and found a lot of improvement  from first to second day. To be fair to him, he's found that improvement again.

"Turning in here, I didn't want to be setting sail but once I committed to them, he didn't stop the whole way to the line, it was a proper Grade 1 performance. 

"I think (the extra two furlongs in the Albert Bartlett) should suit, he's stepped up to that level of class now, I don't see distance being an issue."

Paddy Power reacted to the surprise victory by shortening Dancing City from 25/1 to 10/1 for the Albert Bartlett Novices' Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival.