El Fabiolo rediscovered his mojo at Punchestown on Wednesday, leaving Willie Mullins considering a shot at the Irish Champion Hurdle.
The eight-year-old lost his way over fences last season which included three falls, but appreciated the return to smaller obstacles as he made all the running under Danny Mullins to land the two-mile, three-furlong Make The Tote App Your New Year's Resolution NYE Hurdle by eight and a half lengths from Glen Kiln (8/1).
Unlimited Replays
of all UK and Irish races with our Race Replays
Discover Sporting Life Plus Benefits
Mullins told Racing TV: "He always was a good hurdler. We went chasing and it didn't work out totally for him.
"It's nice to have a race like this to bring him back over hurdles. We'll probably stay over hurdles for the foreseeable future, but I'll have a word with Simon and Isaac (owners). I'd probably prefer to stay over hurdles.
"I think that trip looked fine to me, he could go back to two miles. I'm looking at a race like the Aintree Hurdle at this point in time, but the Irish Champion Hurdle and Red Mills Hurdle could be options as well."
More from Sporting Life
- Free bets
- Racecards
- Fast results
- Full results and free video replays
- Horse racing news
- Horse racing tips
- Horse racing features
- Download our free iOS and Android app
- Football and other sports tips
- Podcasts and video content
Safer gambling
We are committed in our support of safer gambling. Recommended bets are advised to over-18s and we strongly encourage readers to wager only what they can afford to lose.
If you are concerned about your gambling, please call the National Gambling Helpline / GamCare on 0808 8020 133.
Further support and information can be found at begambleaware.org and gamblingtherapy.org.
