KPMG Champion Novice Hurdle |
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| Grade 1, Punchestown 16:15 €125,000 guaranteed 5yo plus 2m 100y, Class 1  |
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1 Facile Vega 4/6F
2
Il Etait Temps 100/30
3 No Looking Back 66/1
5 ran Distances: 7½l, 10l, 6l
Time: 4m 0.80s (slow by 11.80s)
Facile Vega wins the first Grade 1 of the @punchestownrace Festival , the KPMG Champion Novice Hurdle under @PTownend for @WillieMullinsNH pic.twitter.com/t2lvz6N7uc https://t.co/NW43Kk4acv via @RacingBetter
— RacingBetter (@RacingBetter) April 25, 2023
Facile Vega has plenty live up to 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 Willie 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.”
Champion Novice Hurdle
€125,000 guaranteed, 5yo plus, 2m 100y, Class 1
5 ran
Going: Yielding to Soft
POS. DIST HORSE AGE WGT TRAINER JOCKEY SP
1 Facile Vega 6 11-12 W P Mullins Paul Townend 4/6F
2 7½ Il Etait Temps 5 11-12 W P Mullins Danny Mullins 100/30
3 10 No Looking Back 5 11-12 Oliver McKiernan Phillip Enright 66/1
4 6 Found A Fifty 6 11-12 Gordon Elliott Jordan Gainford 28/1
5 84 Diverge 5 11-12 W P Mullins Mr P W Mullins 4/1
Past Results:
| Year | Horse/SP | Age/Wt Owner | Trainer | Jockey |
| 2022 | Mighty Potter 20/1 | 5-11-12 Caldwell Construction Ltd |
Gordon Elliott | Jack Kennedy |
| 2021 | Echoes In The Rain 8/13F | 5-11-07 Barnane Stud |
Willie Mullins | Mr P W Mullins |
| 2020 | Abandoned (Covid-19) |
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| 2019 | Klassical Dream 8/13F | 5-11-12 Mrs Joanne Coleman |
Willie Mullins | R Walsh |
| 2018 | Draconien 25/1 | 5-11-12 Clipper Logistics Group Ltd |
Willie Mullins | N D Fehily |
| 2017 | Cilaos Emery 8/1 | 5-11-12 Luke McMahon |
Willie Mullins | David Mullins |
| 2016 | Don't Touch It 16/1 | 6-11-12 J P McManus |
Mrs J Harrington | B J Geraghty |
| 2015 | Douvan 1/6F | 5-11-12 Susannah Ricci |
Willie Mullins | Ruby Walsh |
| 2014 | Faugheen 1/2F | 6-11-12 Susannah Ricci |
Willie Mullins | Ruby Walsh |
| 2013 | Jezki 2/1 | 5-11-12 J P McManus |
Jessica Harrington | Barry Geraghty |
| 2012 | Alderwood 5/2 | 8-11-12 J P McManus |
Tom Mullins | A P McCoy |
| 2011 | Shot From The Hip 11/2 | 7-11-12 J P McManus |
Edward O’Grady | A P McCoy |
| 2010 | Blackstair mountain 5/1 |
5-11-12 Susannah Ricci |
Willie Mullins | Paul Townend |
| 2009 | Hurricane Fly 4/6 Fav | 5-11-12 George Creight |
on/Rose Boyd Willie Mullins | Ruby Walsh |
| 2008 | Jered 7/4 Fav | 6-11-12 J P McManus |
Noel Meade | A P McCoy |
| 2007 | Clopf 7/4 Fav | 6-11-12 Bernard Heffernan |
Edward O’Grady | Barry Geraghty |
| 2006 | Iktitaf 8/1 | 5-11-11 Mrs Pat Sloan |
Noel Meade | Ruby Walsh |
| 2005 | Wild Passion 7/4 Fav | 5-11-11 Des Sharkey |
Noel Meade | Paul Carberry |
| 2004 | Brave Inca 2/1 Fav | 6-11-12 Novices Syndicate |
Colm Murphy | Barry Cash |
| 2003 | Back In Front 4/11 Fav | 6-11-12 Dermot Cox |
Edward O’Grady | Norman Williamson |
| 2002 | Scottish Memories 11/4 | 6-11-12 Mary Halligan |
Noel Meade | Paul Carberry |
| *2001 | Ned Kelly 4/5 Fav | 5-11-11 Sue Magnier |
Edward O’Grady | Norman Williamson |
| 2000 | Moscow Flyer 10/1 | 6-12-00 Brian Kearney | Jessica Harrington | Barry Geraghty |
| 1999 | Cardinal Hill 1/2 Fav | 5-11-13 J P McManus |
Noel Meade | Charlie Swan |
| 1998 | His Song 6/4 | 5-11-13 David Lloyd |
Mouse Morris | A P McCoy |
| 1997 | Midnight Legend 7/4 Fav | 6-12-00 Hilda Clarke |
David Nicholson GB | Richard Johnson |
| 1996 | Dance Beat 7/2 | 5-11-08 Mrs E Queally |
Jessica Harrington | John Shortt |
| 1995 | Hotel Minella 5/4 Fav | 8-12-00 John J Nallen |
Aidan O’Brien | Charlie Swan |
| 1994 | Klairon Davis 7/4 Fav | 5-11-13 Chris Jones |
Arthur Moore | Tom Horgan |
| 1993 | Bayrouge 7/2 | 5-11-08 Joe Crowley |
Anne-Marie O’Brien | Richard Dunwoody |
| 1992 | Fortune And Fame 11/4 Fav | 5-11-13 Michael Smurfit |
Dermot Weld | Brendan Sheridan |
| 1991 | Young Pokey 5/2 | 6-12-00 Maurice Oberstein |
Oliver Sherwood GB | Jamie Osborne |
| 1990 | Vestris Abu 5/2 | 4-10-05 Mrs C Shubotham |
Jim Bolger | Charlie Swan |
| 1989 | The Proclamation 9/2 | 6-10-13 J M Whaley |
Paddy Prendergast | Richard Dunwoody |
| 1988 | El-Sid Senor 9/4 Fav | 5-11-07 T Miley |
Francis Flood | Frank Berry |
| 1987 | High Plains 8/1 | 5-11-05 Raymond Mould |
David Nicholson GB | Richard Dunwoody |
| 1986 | Barney Burnett Evs Fav | 6-11-09 P Donovan |
Ruby Walsh | Brendan Sheridan |
| 1985 | Hungary Hur 5/1 | 6-11-06 Mrs A Fegan |
Paddy Mullins | Tony Mullins |
| 1984 | Gav’s Delight 2/5 Fav | 6-11-07 N McGrady |
Michael Cunningham | Ken Morgan |
| 1983 | Dawn Run 5/2 Fav | 5-11-07 Mrs Charmian Hill |
Paddy Mullins | Tony Mullins |
| 1982 | Bustineto 5/2 | 4-10-05 Timothy Kinsella |
Mick O’Toole | Niall Madden |
| 1981 | Tie Anchor 2/1 Fav | 4-10-09 Daniel Hale |
Paddy Prendergast | Tommy McGivern |
| 1980 | Deep Gale 7/1 | 7-11-08 J P McManus |
Edward O’Grady | Mr Frank Codd |
