Vautour’s Cheltenham ambitions back on track after easy win at Leopardstown

The bare evidence of the 1-5 favourite Vautour beating a 66-1 no-hoper might not be convincing, but it was more than just artistic impression that prompted bookmakers to make Willie Mullins's star novice a Cheltenham favourite again.

After his long odds-on Christmas flop, Vautour’s Grade 2 Killiney Novice Chase romp was an impressive and remunerative confidence booster as he recorded a 92-length defeat of veteran Aladdins Cave, who was making his first start over fences.

However that doesn’t take into account how the new favourite for the JLT at Cheltenham in March had appeared to have comfortably repulsed Real Steel by the last fence, where that sole credible rival paid the price for trying to match strides with Vautour by crashing out.

Fair benchmark

As a Grade 1 placed 140-rated performer, Real Steel looked a fair benchmark for a horse with aspirations to winning at the festival for a second year running and Vautour passed the test in some style.

“We’re back on track,” said Mullins, who put a Christmas loss to Clarcam down to a possible muscle cramp. “I’m happy he’s back to himself now and I think there’s more to come. He jumped much better today but still not as well as when he won on his debut at Navan.”

The €24,375 first prize took the champion trainer past the €1.9 million prizemoney mark for the season, but it was Real Steel’s 140 rating which was the statistic that really interested Mullins.

“He’s been mixing it with the best novices and a 140 rating makes him a proper handicapper. He put it up to our horse down the back and Vautour was able to shrug him off and go away. In effect, it was a two-horse race, but it was a good test and he did today what he should have probably done at Christmas,” he said.

Bookmaker reaction was to make Vautour as low as 5-2 favourite for the JLT over two and a half miles and Walsh commented: “He has always struck me as a stayer and I’d have no doubt he’ll get further. He’s a horse with a huge future and I’ve always loved him.”

Mouse Morris reported Real Steel to be “pretty sore” after his fall but that mishap allowed Keith Marshall’s initiative in running Aladdins Cave to be rewarded with €7,500 runner-up prizemoney.

Mullins later doubled up in the bumper with the odds-on Balko Des Flos, who made all to beat Jezki’s brother Jett.

“He’s a strong stayer which is what you need at Cheltenham, so he’s qualified to go,” Mullins said. “We’ll discuss it with the owners [Gigginstown Stud] and see, but he did what he’d been showing at home.”