Willie Mullins is responsible for the clear 6-4 favourite for next year’s Champion Hurdle and three of the first four names in the betting for the 2015 Gold Cup, and has sent a long series of outstanding horses to Cheltenham’s Festival meeting over the last few seasons. Yet he still seemed confident here on Tuesday not only that Douvan is as good as any he has trained, but also that he will be better still when he grows and matures into his steeplechaser’s frame.
So far, Douvan has won all four of his starts over hurdles since joining the trainer from France in the autumn of 2014, and took the Grade One Herald Champion Novice Hurdle here as smoothly as a starting price of 1-6 would suggest.
Sizing John, seven lengths behind Douvan when third in the Supreme Novice Hurdle at Cheltenham, was the only horse in a small field with even a faint chance against the favourite on the book, but Douvan confirmed the form almost to the inch with Ruby Walsh, his jockey, again doing little more than point him in the right direction.
Faugheen, the Champion Hurdle winner, concluded his novice campaign with a victory in the same race 12 months ago, but all options remain open for Douvan, who races in the same pink colours of Rich Ricci.
“He really flicks over his hurdles, you can’t see him rising,” Mullins said. “He’s an amazing athlete for the size and scope of him. He’s nearly 17 hands, a big, immature horse, and yet he can do all that.
“He’s way more efficient jumping than Faugheen ever was, or is, even. That from a novice is extraordinary, I think. I can’t wait to get him over a fence but we’ll have to go and chat to connections to see what they want to do. Rich has Faugheen there for the Champion Hurdle, so it’s a nice problem to have.
“He has to be as good as we’ve ever had. Looking at him, he’s not a Hurricane Fly [the 2011 and 2013 Champion Hurdle winner] type of horse, he’s a chaser really. He’s a Mikael D’Haguenet [the 2009 Royal & SunAlliance Hurdle winner] type of horse. He didn’t go on over fences, he had his little problems, but this horse could, I think.”
The bookmakers agree with Mullins that Douvan’s greatest potential lies over fences, and he is already no better than 7-2 to win the Arkle Trophy Novice Chase at next year’s Cheltenham Festival. He can also be backed at 10-1 to win the Champion Hurdle later the same afternoon.
“I think with his size and scope, he should go chasing,” Mullins said. “However, it is easier to keep them sound over hurdles, and he is a big horse who is going to get very strong during the summer.
“Every day he comes out showing me that he’s getting better. It’s not as if I knew he was like this last October, I knew he was good last October and he might win a race or two, but now we’re here at Punchestown and we know how good he is and everyone can see that. Hopefully he’ll come off summer’s grass well and we can make a decision then.”
Mullins completed a double on the card in the feature event, the Grade One Boylesports Champion Chase, but it was the 5-1 chance Felix Yonger, rather than stablemate and favourite Champagne Fever, who came home in front, staying on past Baily Green to win by half a length.
For Danny Mullins, the winning jockey and also the trainer’s nephew, this was a first Grade One success for his uncle.
“That’s great for Danny,” Willie Mullins said. “He went off to America the last two weekends and rode four winners, he’s riding out of his skin and full of confidence. He sat and waited his turn and came with one run and it paid off.
We thought it was a very open race, Ruby said that Champagne Fever slipped going into the first and was never right after.”
Mullins completed a treble in the card’s Grade One events in the Growise Champion Novice Chase, but again it was an apparent second-string that prevailed as Don Poli, the winner of the RSA Chase at Cheltenham, failed miserably to justify a starting price of 4-9.
Instead it was Valseur Lido, third home behind Mullins’s Vautour in the JLT Novice Chase at Cheltenham, who came through to beat Wounded Warrior with Don Poli last of the five runners.
Paddy Power and Hills both pushed out Don Poli to 8-1 from 5-1 for next year’s Gold Cup, while Valseur Lido is 20-1 (from 33-1) with Paddy Power for the same race. Vautour also shortened with Hill’s, to 4-1 clear favourite (from 5-1).
