Tony Bloom's "horse of a lifetime" Energumene scooped another huge pot with victory at Punchestown.
The Brighton FC owner was celebrating again, just weeks after the Willie Mullins-trained chaser starred at Cheltenham. Compared to the murky conditions there, the ground was much quicker at the Irish Festival, but that did not stop the eight-year-old from delivering in style.
The 4-7 favourite had too much pace for stablemate Chacun Pour Soi in the William Hill Champion Chase – and kept on strongly for an eight and a half length score. Sean Graham, racing manager for Bloom, said he has been thrilled with the two-miler's performances this season, as he took his record to seven wins from eight starts over fences.
"I think this is a horse of a lifetime," he told Racing TV. "Willie has been trying to win the Champion Chase for so long and this is the horse that has done it. He's just very, very good."
After taking the first prize of around £137,000, Energumene is 9-4 (from 11-4) with several bookmakers to win a second Champion Chase in 2023. Mullins said: “He just seems to be improving with racing and he’s learning all the time.
“We learned an awful lot from Ascot, we learned more about how to ride him and have more confidence in him. That’s the way Paul has been doing it now and it’s worked twice since.
“He’s by the same sire as Un De Sceaux and looked like he might be a similar sort, but he has a lot more speed than we gave him credit for."
Another of Mullins' Cheltenham heroes, Sir Gerhard, was thwarted by Mighty Potter in the Bective Stud Champion Novice Hurdle. Pulled up after a bad mistake in the Supreme taken by new star Constitution Hill, Jack Kennedy's mount strode clear of the pack by four lengths.
Fences await next season, Gordon Elliott confirmed after the second leg of a four-timer.
“I thought Jack gave him a beautiful ride, he held his position the whole way. The horse is a chaser for the future and we’re very happy," the trainer said. “He did the splits and was lame for a few days after Cheltenham, nothing seriously wrong with him but he just wasn’t right and came home very light."
