Poniros powered home to land a 100/1 shock and give Ireland a sixth straight success in the JCB Triumph Hurdle at Cheltenham.
James Owen’s East India Dock and the Nicky Henderson-trained Lulamba had been strongly fancied to end Britain’s barren run in the opener on Gold Cup day and looked set to fight out the finish when in front at the last flight.
However, they had to settle for minor honours as Jonjo O’Neill Jr conjured up a stirring finish from jumping debutant Poniros, who was providing Willie Mullins with a fourth consecutive Triumph victory, this one in the colours of Brighton & Hove Albion chairman Tony Bloom.
Mullins – who had 11 runners in the race – said: “He’s by Golden Horn and I think he’s going to make a very good sire. He’s the sort of horse you’re looking for, but I didn’t expect that. We were hoping he’d run well and be a nice horse for next year, so he’s ahead of schedule.
Poniros (blue) in action in the Triumph Hurdle
“We bought him in October, we just schooled him and then gave him a break. We thought we’d better drag him in from the field and get him ready for Cheltenham, so that’s what we did, but I didn’t expect any more than a nice run.
“We’d a lot of horses in the race and they all came here with the same plan and I couldn’t believe it when I saw him flying through.”
Kargese all class in County Hurdle
Kargese produced a determined display to justify favouritism in the William Hill County Handicap Hurdle.
Last season’s Triumph Hurdle runner-up was a little keen early on for Paul Townend but they made a forward move from midfield on the turn for home and seemed set for a smooth success once striking the front.
The five-year-old faced a renewed challenge from Gordon Elliott’s Ndaawi on the run-in but was always doing enough to score at 3/1 and give Willie Mullins a record-extending eighth win in the race.
