Cheltenham Festival News: Vauban digs deep to win JCB Triumph Hurdle
- Tom Reed
- 18 March 2022
Vauban had all the gears to take the JCB Triumph Hurdle for Willie Mullins. The Rich Ricci owned four-year-old is reportedly being aimed at the Melbourne Cup.
Willie Mullins took the opening race of the final day of the Cheltenham Festival when his Vauban powered to victory in the Grade 1 JCB Triumph Hurdle.
Owner Rich Ricci tagged the four-year-old up as his best chance of the week and Paul Townend justified the gelding's 6/4 favouritism to deliver the class horse of the race.
Gary Moore's Porticello and Gordon Elliott's Fil Dor took up the running but Vauban was always looming and would not be stopped as soon as Townend said go.
The Ebor at York and The Melbourne Cup are rumoured to be on the agenda for the dual-purpose performer.
Fil Dor ran home second at 11/2 with fellow Elliott runner Pied Piper finishing third at 7/2.
Winning trainer Mullins said of the Rich Ricci-owned winner: "I'm delighted with that. He was able to win even without having the experience that he should have going into that sort of race.
"You could see that when he hit the front. Paul said he was looking at everything and probably all the cameras on the landing side of the last hurdle and he just lost his impetus. But he picked up quickly again and went on like a good horse.
"You'd have to think he could be a Champion Hurdle horse and he has a great Flat rating. I think he'll improve with age and experience and with the Flat rating he has, he'll be good enough to contest those cup races, I think.
"I'll have a word with Rich, but I'd imagine we'll give him his summer off and then maybe hurdle next season and go Flat racing after that."
He went on: "Champion Hurdle winners over the years have gone back on the Flat. The Easterbys over the years have gone to Chester and places like that.
"Champion Hurdle winners in the previous generation went back Flat racing because they were top-class Flat horses. Those horses are not bought now because they're bought to go to Australia and Dubai and places like that.
"I've got a bit of unfinished down in Australia (in the Melbourne Cup), but I don't think it will be this year. After Punchestown I think we'll give him a break.
"The Melbourne Cup is a particular itch we'd love to scratch. We've finished second, third and fourth in it over the years and it's a race I'd love to win.
"He has the credentials for it every day of the week. He'd be as good as any of those horses (we have run in the Melbourne Cup before)."
