Final Demand (7/4) demolished seven rivals to win Punchestown’s Alanna Homes Champion Novice Hurdle by 16 lengths and more today, giving UK and Irish champion trainer Willie Mullins a seventh Grade 1 success this week.

A top-level Dublin Racing Festival-winner in February, Final Demand met with defeat at Cheltenham in March but today made all the running under Paul Townend, and sprinted clear to easily beat runner-up Lovely Hurling

Five to four favourite The Yellow Clay — runner-up in Cheltenham, was well held when falling at the final flight.

An impressed Mullins reported “it was an awesome performance over that trip, for that horse. Paul felt he didn’t go fast enough in Cheltenham and said to Caroline (Tilsdale, part-owner) ‘today I’m going to show him off’.

“I saw him jumping the first and second hurdles but wasn’t happy that he was jumping well until he jumped the third. He was then getting lengths at his hurdles and for a big chaser (type) to jump the way he did when it mattered, he was electric.

“I thought he was going to tire due to the pace but then he’d go down to the hurdle and just take a length out of a horse behind him. If you can jump fences like that he’s one to look forward to.”

He added “he hasn’t schooled over fences at home but there will be time enough next Autumn. He won his point-to-point so he’s well able to jump. To have this horse with his size and scope, these horses don’t come along too often - if we can just keep him sound.

“He’s not a horse you’d want to stand on your foot!”

Townend, with his third Grade 1 winner of the week, added “I think he is a very very good horse. I was disappointed with myself and him at Cheltenham but I wouldn’t ride him the same way, if I went back again. I jumped him off today and left him show himself off and he jumped brilliantly.

“He is a fine big horse, covers a lot of ground and I like him a lot.”

Quotes from Gary Carson