Facile Vega (4/6 favourite) beat Il Etait Temps by seven-and-a-half lengths to win Grade One KPMG Champion Novice Hurdle on day one of the Punchestown Festival; winner set to switch to novice chasing campaign next season for Willie Mullins
Tuesday 25 April 2023 17:26, UK
Willie Mullins is excited to see what Facile Vega can achieve over fences next season after surviving a scare to get back on the winning trail in the KPMG Champion Novice Hurdle at Punchestown.
The six-year-old had plenty to live up to from day one as a son of the great racemare Quevega, who won six times at Punchestown to go with her six victories in the Mares' Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival.
Facile Vega has largely upheld family honour, winning four bumpers and his first two starts over hurdles, but lost his unbeaten record when well held at Leopardstown in February and was ultimately no match for Marine Nationale when favourite to bounce back in the Supreme Novices' Hurdle last month.
Despite those successive defeats, the Walk In The Park gelding was unsurprisingly short odds to end his season on a high back on home soil at 4/6 - and while a mistake three flights from home would have have had his supporters sweating, Paul Townend's mount soon came back on the bridle and coasted clear in the straight.
Facile Vega's stablemate Il Etait Temps was seven and a half lengths adrift in second at the line, while another Mullins runner, Diverge - third in the Supreme - weakened tamely after making much of the running and finished a tailed off last of five.
Mullins said: "I've always thought the world of him, he has huge ability and I'm looking forward to him going over fences next year.
"Paul thinks he doesn't have much respect for hurdles and he could always do that type of thing even schooling at home. He thinks he'll have far more respect for fences.
"I said to Paul to be very positive on him because he has a huge, long stride. He gallops and is able to quicken off that.
"His pedigree would suggest he can go out to three miles any day of the week and I know he has enough pace to go two miles so we will let the horse tell us as he learns the game in the autumn."
Townend said: "We got a bit of a fright at the third-last, but he lengthened well down the straight for me again.
"We got it right today and he showed the true horse."
