Vanillier made all the running to give Irish trainer Gavin Cromwell his second winner of the meeting in the Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle at Cheltenham.
Flooring Porter led all the way to take the Stayers’ Hurdle on Thursday and Vanillier (14-1) repeated the trick in the Grade One over three miles.
Both horses should have been ridden by Jonathan Moore, but he declared himself not enough to ride after a fall earlier in the month. Danny Mullins was the beneficiary in the Stayers’ and it was Mark Walsh who deputised this time. Moore led in both winners.
Vanillier proved an able partner as he travelled beautifully throughout the race before scooting up the hill to seal the victory by 11 lengths from Oscar Elite.
Streets Of Doyen was a length and a half back in third, with Stattler fourth.
Walsh was teaming up with Vanillier for the first time as regular rider Jonathan Moore is currently sidelined following a fall.
The winning rider said: “One man’s loss is another man’s gain. Thanks to Gavin for giving me the ride. “He won well, I watched his second at Limerick and all he seemed to do was stay on. Gavin said to me ‘ he can be a bit lazy, keep him to his work’, he was the opposite.
“He was in my hands early for the first circuit, I thought he was doing a bit too much.
“I was always happy with how I was travelling and going, I knew he stayed well.”
