Un Atout (winner, left) jumps the last with Ubak© Photo Healy Racing
There were only three runners but the Grade 1 Tattersalls Ireland Champion Novice Hurdle served up a thrilling finale as Un Atout beat English raider Ubak (supplemented at a cost of 8K) by a neck at Punchestown.
When the Mullins runner (bringing up a double after Hurricane Fly didn't jump the last as well as Ubak, it looked like the Davy Russell-ridden (now five ahead of Ruby Walsh again in the battle to be champion jockey) odds-on favourite was beaten, but he rallied to prevail by a neck. They left Sizing Rio twelve lengths back in third.
Russell said: "He probably didn't get the best of runs from Cheltenham to here but obviously he's a good horse.
"He showed the trait of his brother there – Sir Des Champs.
"The beautiful thing about today was the way he jumped his hurdles leading towards chasing.
"A couple of strides after the last I thought I was beaten. The minute the other horse gave him half a chance my fella dug in and we had enough time then from there to the line – in the last 150 or 200 yards I was pretty sure I was going to get by him.
Mullins meanwhile stated: "He was good. He's a three-parts brother to Sir Des Champs and toughness is their middle name.
"I was surprised when the others wouldn't make the running – I thought we'd drop in last but he's done some of his best work at home from the front so I wasn't too worried.
"He missed a couple of days with a stone bruise and I was a bit worried that might impact on him in this ground.
"He hasn't the best feet and we have to constantly mind them.
"I love the way he came back when he was passed – I thought the game was up at the last.
"He got a second wind. My French connections always thought that he could be a better horse than Sir Des Champs.
"That's the potential we hope he might have.
"He's a good jumper and obviously he's going to be a staying novice chaser but we could even start him over two next autumn – we'll just take what we get.
"Davy was very very good on him. We hadn't discussed tactics so I left it to him to make his mind up.
"He knows what he has to do himself." (GC & EM)
