Vauban Wins Triumph Hurdle As Willie Mullins Makes Perfect Start To Gold Cup Day

Favourite Vauban has won the Triumph Hurdle at Cheltenham Festival as the Willie Mullins and Paul Townend duo get their Gold Cup day off to a winning start. Vauban was a relatively calm runner throughout a race that was taken on by Porticello and Fil Dor, but Townend timed his move to perfection to outclass the Gordon Elliott duo of Pied Piper and Fil Dor.

Porticello led the field with a good start from Fil Dor, who were tracked by Icare Allen, as the crowd cheered them on their way. The front two had made good running early on as Icare Allen made a slight mistake that saw him lose some ground. 

With three to go, Fil Dor and Porticello led the way, as Icare Allen closed the gap with only about 12 lengths covering the entire field. As we approached the key jumps of the race, the pre-race favourite Vauban then took the time and care to move through the field. 

With Townend on board, Vauban then took the lead and went toe-to-toe with Pied Piper and Fil Dor on the final jump as he drove down the inside rail to earn Willie Mullins a huge victory in the opener on day four. 

We’ve still got the Gold Cup to come later, where Al Boum Photo will fly the flag for Mullins, but this was the perfect start to a wonderful sunny day for the trainer. Townend has also got back to winning ways after coming down on Galopin Des Champs in the opener yesterday. It seems he is in good form now, and as he climbs aboard Al Boum Photo later, he could complete a mighty turnaround.