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Chacun Pour Soi bounced back to his brilliant best to land the William Hill Champion Chase at Punchestown on the opening day of the National Hunt festival.
The nine-year-old was a red-hot favourite to provide trainer Willie Mullins with a first victory in the Queen Mother Champion Chase at Cheltenham last month, following three runaway victories earlier in the season.
However, after hitting the front on the run to the final fence there, Paul Townend’s mount faltered up the hill and passed the post only third.
With Ryanair Chase-winning stablemate Allaho and Dan Skelton’s Champion Chase runner-up Nube Negra in opposition this time, Chacun Pour Soi faced a far from straightforward task in his bid to get back on the winning trail, but he could hardly have been more impressive.
Having disputed the early running with Allaho, Townend sent the Rich and Susannah Ricci-owned winner to a clear lead with over a circuit to race and they were then never headed.
Having looked outpaced back over this shorter trip before the home turn, Allaho attempted to close the gap in the straight, but 6-5 favourite Chacun Pour Soi was ultimately far too strong for his stablemate and passed the post with five and a half lengths in hand.
Nube Negra was some 19 lengths further behind in third.
Mullins said: “I think they were just on song today, both himself [Chacun Pour Soi] and Paul.
“They gave an exhibition of jumping and racing. He just had horses out of their comfort zone from very early on.
“Cheltenham was disappointing, I felt it wasn’t the Chacun Pour Soi that we know.
“I don’t know why he did what he did at Cheltenham, and maybe we just weren’t positive enough on him.
“Anyhow, he was disappointing, but it’s good to see that he’s back to himself.”
Townend, who returned to the saddle earlier in the day following a spell on the sidelines with injury, was hugely impressed.
He told Racing TV: “That was a proper performance – that was the real Chacun.
“We were all disappointed in Cheltenham. The horse didn’t fire there, but there was no hiding place today and he jumped for fun.
“His jumping kept me in my comfort zone at all stages, he was electric. That just allowed me to fill him up as we went along, and he was a joy to ride and gave me a serious thrill.
“They’re animals and not machines. He didn’t fire at Cheltenham, but he fired today.”

Patrick Mullins onboard Echoes in Rain on the way to winning the comes home to win the eCOMM Merchant Solutions Champion Novice Hurdle at Punchestown. Photograph: Morgan Treacy/Inpho


Exciting mare Echoes In Rain beat the boys with an impressive display in the eCOMM Merchant Solutions Champion Novice Hurdle for Mullins.
He had saddled seven previous winners of the Grade One contest, with Hurricane Fly (2009), Faugheen (2014) and Douvan (2015) among those on the roll of honour.
This year he fired a twin assault, with dual Grade Two winner Echoes In Rain the 8-13 favourite under the trainer’s son Patrick Mullins, and Blue Lord next best in the market at 15-8 in the hands of Townend.
Bidding to bounce back from a final-flight fall when seemingly booked for second behind stablemate Appreciate It in the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle at Cheltenham, Blue Lord set out to make all the running, with Echoes In Rain always in his slipstream.
The favourite took over the lead with relative ease on the run to the final flight, however, before kicking just over three lengths clear on the run-in.
Colonel Mustard (40-1) finished with a flourish to beat Blue Lord to the runner-up spot late on and deny Mullins a one-two.
Mullins said: “It’s a great start to the week for Patrick and for Echoes In Rain’s connections.
“She is a filly that’s improving as she learns about racing. She just made one mistake, and Patrick blamed himself because he didn’t want her to jump it as well as she was setting herself up to jump it because she was going to land there too soon, so he let her fiddle it.
“She’s a filly who has now won at the top level, and hopefully that’s where she’ll stay for the next couple of years.
“She could run on the Flat, but it’s taken us two years to settle her down, so I doubt I’m going to do that.
“I’d say we’ll probably stick to this jumping game. She’s learning how to pace herself jumping now, and you’d have to be happy with that.”
Asked whether he felt Echoes In Rain could develop into a Champion Hurdle contender, he added: “She’s improving every day and with every run and looks like she’s setting herself up to get a chance at it.”