Huge blow to jumping as Vautour put down Three-time Cheltenham Festival winner Vautour has been put down after breaking his leg in a freak accident. The Willie Mullins-trained seven-year-old won the Supreme Novices' Hurdle in 2014 and the JLT Novices' Chase 12 months later before running out a dominant winner of the Ryanair Chase on his return to Prestbury Park last March. Mullins said: "It's been a lovely, dry day here and Vautour was out in the paddock with his usual companion Shaneshill. "One of the girls went out to feed him. There didn't appear to be anything untoward as Shaneshill was grazing away, but Vautour was found to have broken his foreleg. "He goes out there every day and it's just a freak accident. "It's tough to take." Vautour won 10 of his 16 starts overall, including five Grade Ones, and was last seen finishing second at the Boylesports Champion Chase at Punchestown in April. A Cheltenham Festival Icon Vautour's career centred around the Cheltenham Festival. He came alive at Prestbury Park, which isn't to say that he couldn't be brilliant elsewhere; just that at Cheltenham, on good, spring ground, he was unbeatable. . 2014 Supreme Novices' Hurdle Vautour arrived at his first Festival having won all three previous starts for Mullins. It seems remarkable, looking back, that he was allowed to go off a 7/2 chance, joint-favourite with Irving. Some had voiced concern that this supposed stayer may be tapped for toe on the quickest ground he'd faced, but under an aggressive ride he produced a slick round of jumping and never looked like being beaten. Afterwards, Ruby Walsh called his willing partner 'a serious horse'. It was to prove a vast understatement. . 2015 JLT Novices' Chase Vautour would suffer his first defeat for Mullins in the second race of his novice chase campaign, when a shuddering error saw him unable to reel in Clarcam. It was a mistake which should've seen him hit the deck, by rights, but this nimble athlete in the mould of a Kauto Star rather than a Denman would pick himself up and rally. A confidence-booster in January saw him arrive back at Cheltenham on the front foot, and that's where he remained under another positive, you-cannot-beat-us ride. Vautour winged fence after fence for arguably his most impressive display as he romped home some 15 lengths clear of a Grade One-winning runner-up who was simply outclassed. . 2016 Ryanair Chase A disrupted preparation following his gallant King George second meant, for the first time, Vautour arrived at Cheltenham without having raced that year. It was a setback which prompted connections to switch to the shorter, easier Ryanair, rather than the Gold Cup for which he was challenging for favouritism, and his six-length win over stablemate Valseur Lido left some pondering what might have been, had be been asked to take on Don Cossack and Cue Card on Friday. Still, those who backed Vautour into even-money will have had few complaints as, for the third time, he produced one of the standout performances of the week. It is a terrible shame that he will not be able to bid for a fourth success next spring.
