Apolon de Charnie, one of nine runners for Willie Mullins and tipped in the Ben Linfoot Verdict column at 40/1, won the Triumph Hurdle under the trainer's son Patrick Mullins.
Apolon de Charnie, who returned at 50/1, was another big-priced winner of the Triumph Hurdle for the yard following Poniros' 100/1 victory last year. Mullins has now won six of the last seven editions of Triumph, including the last five in a row.
Apolon de Charnie was making his first start for Mullins having finished runner-up behind new stablemate Proactif - a disappointing 7/2 favourite in the Triumph - at Auteuil on his only previous start over hurdles for Yannick Fouin.
Ridden in mid-division, Apolon de Charnie still had seven rivals in front of him as they turned into the straight, but he made good headway on the long run to the final flight and took off nearly on terms with leading British challengers Maestro Conti (5/1) and Minella Study (7/1).
He was only asked for maximum effort after the last hurdle and stuck to his task well up the run-in to score by a length and a half from Maestro Conti, who just pipped Minella Study to the runner-up spot by a short head. The victory provided Patrick Mullins with a first Grade 1 winner over jumps at the Cheltenham Festival.
Selma de Vary, a stablemate of the winner and prominent in the market at 13/2, finished fourth under Paul Townend.
13:20 Cheltenham - JCB Triumph Hurdle result
1st Apolon de Charnie 50/1
2nd Maestro Conti 5/1
3rd Minella Study 7/1
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The winning trainer said: “I thought he was going to win before the last, then after the last he had to get down to win the race for a second time. Once he got to the front with that Cheltenham roar he still didn’t stop. A lot of horses put their heads up with that Cheltenham roar and take fright, but he didn’t. He did it very well and I’m very happy.
“He was only 50/1 and last year it was a 100/1, I’m so disappointed!"
The presence of son Patrick in the saddle made victory all the sweeter for the trainer, who added: "I could stand on the stand and say ‘Go on my son’! That was the biggest thrill of it with Patrick riding him."
'He is very brave and very good'
Reflecting on how the race unfolded, Willie Mullins said: “Watching all the horses coming down the hill I could see three or four of mine all ridden with chances.
"I saw Mon Creuset, who was one of my key players, make a bad mistake and thought he was gone, but every time I would be watching for Patrick one way or another, whether he had a chance or not, just to see if he didn’t fall, or make a mistake.
“Every time I was very happy when I looked at him. Then he came through with what I thought going to the last was a great chance, and then the other horse kept going and I thought we were going to get beaten half-way up the straight.
“What I loved was the attitude of the horse when he hit the front. When he heard the Cheltenham roar he hung fire for a second then galloped on up through the roar and the crowd. He is very brave and very good.”
Reaction from the placed connections
Maestro Conti, a winner of his three previous start over hurdles, may have lost his unbeaten record, but he ran a cracker in defeat and is likely to have another shot at Grade 1 glory at Aintree. His trainer Dan Skelton said: "My first instinct was if we’d had a big jump at the last maybe we’d have won but the way Patrick was going I’m not convinced that was the truth. It was a great run, very, very happy with him and I’d say he’ll make a fine horse going forward. I’ll probably run him at Aintree."
Minella Study, the flagbearer for Adam Nicol, also brought an unbeaten record over hurdles into the race and went down fighting. His trainer said: "Everyone kept writing us off saying I wasn’t good enough or he wasn’t good enough and that horses don’t do well from a long break.
"He is there jumping in front at the last. It is a stiff track around here and those juveniles have got to stay every yard of it, but he has run a mighty race so he is certainly a horse for the future.
"He has won here, and handles the track, but he might be even better on a flat track. He is quite versatile as he has won at Wetherby. I keep saying he will be a better horse next season.
“Ryan (Mania) has given him a good ride. We will look after him as he is a nice horse for next season. We will see about Aintree as he is only a juvenile.”
