Vautour & Ruby Walsh jump the last © Photo Healy Racing
Willie Mullins insisted he had no regrets after his controversial decision to switch targets with Vautour paid off with another stunning display in the Ryanair Chase.
An all-the-way winner of the 2014 Supreme Novices' Hurdle and breathtaking in the JLT Novices' Chase 12 months ago, the seven-year-old was set to be part of a formidable assault by the all-conquering champion trainer in his bid to win a first Timico Gold Cup.
However, on Tuesday morning came the shock announcement that following a string unsatisfactory workouts, Vautour was to run 24 hours earlier and despite downbeat reports, he was immediately installed as the hot favourite.
Those brave enough to take even-money had few worries throughout the the two-mile-five-furlong Grade One, with Vautour travelling with his trademark panache and jumping accurately in the hands of an ultra-confident Ruby Walsh.
The writing was on the wall for his rivals as the Mullins superstar cruised to the front running down the hill and he powered clear up the straight to gain his third Festival success by six lengths. Valseur Lido made late gains to give Mullins a one-two, narrowly ahead of last year's Gold Cup third and fellow Gigginstown House Stud-owned runner Road To Riches
Mullins said: "I'm happy we ran him in this race as he's won. Last year I came here on a wing and a prayer and it was the same this year. Last year he was hard to train before coming right on the day, but that was against novices.
"This year we were aiming for the Gold Cup and he wasn't working like a Gold Cup horse. The more work we put into him, the worse he appeared to be getting.
"I just changed everything in the last week and hoped that things would work and still there was nothing really until two days before he came over. I arranged a short bit of work for him and it was the first time he took up the bridle in the last month.
"After he arrived here, he just seemed to be getting better by the minute. The lad who rides him said he started to take a hold and spark, which he hasn't done since Christmas."
Mullins feels Vautour's narrow defeat to Cue Card in a pulsating King George VI Chase at Kempton may have left a mark and revealed that just last week he felt he may not make the trip to Prestbury Park at all.
"He had a very hard race in the King George and probably had a harder race than what I thought. He wasn't getting over it and I'd say it just bottomed him," he said.
"Last Wednesday, I had it in my mind I couldn't bring him for the Gold Cup and I couldn't bring him for this. I changed the way we train him, the way we ride him, the tack he wears and I threw him out in the field. The only stable he's been in in the last 10 days is the two nights he's been here.
"I brought him here very late and it was all last-minute. We just had to try something different as what we were doing wasn't working. "Ruby said he wouldn't have brought him and I'm sure a lot of lads in the yard were thinking the same way.
"You can't win if you don't run and I just took a chance, but I'd say it's a surprise to everyone in our yard he's won the way he's won today. He must have a huge engine to do that off the prep that he came here with."
William Hill make Vautour a 6-1 shot for next year's Gold Cup, while he is 7-2 to repeat his Ryanair success.
Mullins is keen to go for the blue riband, while plans for the remainder of this campaign could depend on whether he has a chance of claiming the British trainer's title for the first time.
He added: " We'll see what Gold Cup horses we have next year, but I think he's a Gold Cup horse. I've got to aim him for the Gold Cup, but the same owner has Djakadam and we'll see what happens here tomorrow.
" I'd prefer Punchestown to Aintree, but it's hard. I don't know what I'm going to do about Aintree this year.
"I'd like to win the Aintree Hurdle, there's the Grand National horses and other than that I usually only bring one if I have one for those Grade One novice races. But it depends how this week finishes."
Owner Rich Ricci admitted to wondering what might have happened had Vautour lined up on Friday.
He said: " Djakadam must be working the house down is my immediate reaction, so hopefully it bodes well for tomorrow.
"I feel odd, to be completely honest. I wanted the horse to run in the Gold Cup, the Gold Cup third from last year (Road To Riches) was behind us.
"Of course I'm delighted to win and it was a good performance. You've got to do the right thing for the horse and running in this race was the right thing for him. He wasn't as spectacular as last year, but it was a good win."
Asked whether he felt bad for ante-post punters, the owner said: "Of course, I do. I hear my new nickname is 'Switch Ricci'. You never want to disappoint punters, but you can't have it all ways.
"I try to be as honest and open as I can and say what I think. I don't want to change my style. Sometimes you get it wrong and I hope people will forgive me."
Mullins said of Valseur Lido: "He needs a trip, but he ran a fantastic race. The further he goes the better he'll be."
Road To Riches' trainer Noel Meade was proud of the performance of his stable star in third.
He said: "The winner is an exceptional horse and if he'd not been there, Michael O'Leary (owner) would have been right going for this race. The change in plan for Vautour was a bit of a blow for us, but I think he's run a good race.
"I'm not sure why he didn't quite get home and he just didn't seem to get the last 100 yards, but I thought he was in very good form coming into the race.
"I don't know where we'll go next, he'll be entered at Aintree and Punchestown but he certainly didn't have as hard a race as he did in the Gold Cup."
