2.50 Cheltenham - Albert Bartlett Novices' Hurdle result
1st Penhill 16/1
2nd Monalee 8/1
3rd Wholestone 13/2
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Race Report
Tuesday and Wednesday were days to forget for Willie Mullins but it's been onwards and upwards ever since as Penhill provided Ireland's Champion Trainer with a sixth winner of the 2017 Cheltenham Festival.
The Albert Bartlett Novices' Hurdle has not been a happy hunting ground for the County Closutton handler and that run looked set to continue when Augusta Kate, his main fancy according to the market, made a bad mistake heading out on the final circuit.
Penhill, however, had other ideas as Paul Townend, who won the preceding County Hurdle aboard Arctic Fire, brought the six-year-old from the rear of the field through on the outside as they reached the bottom of the hill.
The writing was on the wall for the front-running Ami Desbois by that stage but short-priced favourite Death Duty and Monalee were both travelling powefully.
Death Duty got barged out of the way by Monalee at the second last where The Worlds End took a crashing fall, badly hampering Constantine Bay as well as the eventual winner.
Death Duty found disappointingly little thereafter and took a tired fall at the last but Monalee still appeared full of running approaching the final obstacle.
The petrol gauge soon began to empty though as Penhill galloped on relentlessly to score by three and a half lengths.
Reaction
Paul Townend: "He's a class horse, we kept him wide to get into a rhythm. I won on him over three miles at Christmas at Limerick on heavy ground and he saw it out really well."
Owner Tony Bloom, chairman of Brighton & Hove Albion Football Club, said: "I'm over the moon for everyone involved, it was a great ride by Paul and it's a brilliant horse we have here.
"He was looking good all the way and two out we were expecting him to win, his hurdling was a lot better than it has been and he's got the pace. Racing over three miles has been the making of him, as it gives him more time for his jumping.
"I haven't had many Cheltenham runners, so it is very exciting. I've brought a lot of friends and they're all on at 16 and 20/1."
Willie Mullins: "It's not a race that has been lucky for us. It's been a great day for Paul with two winners. Penhill has class. We were trying to win with him over two miles, but he just couldn't handle the pace of top-class races over two miles.
"We put him up to three and he did it easily at Christmas, then we said we would go for this race.
"He will go to Punchestown now and he is horse that could go back on the Flat. He could be a Melbourne Cup horse. Maybe he won't be good enough when we go back and try the Flat but we will see. He has got a typical profile for the horses we manage going back to the Flat.
"They are just going two or three miles an hour slower over three and it just gives his brain time to work and get him in the right order jumping."
Henry de Bromhead said of Monalee: "I'm delighted with him, he ran a great race, we were just beaten by a battle-hardened horse unfortunately, and a very good horse.
"We'll look forward to going over fences with him next season, that should be exciting. We'll get him home and see how he is before we decide if he runs again."
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