Ruby Walsh made it a Tuesday to remember at the Cheltenham Festival for trainer Willie Mullins, riding three winners and leading a clean sweep for the stable in the Champion Hurdle.
Walsh was in impressive form as he steered 4/5 favourite Faugheen to victory in the feature race on the first day of the meet, leading home a Mullins-trained one-two-three.
Faugheen made all the running and took his unbeaten run over hurdles to eight.
Arctic Fire, the 20-1 shot, chased him hard up the hill to take second place, with dual winner Hurricane Fly (8-1) third.
Walsh said: "Willie is a genius and has a great team of staff around him."
He added: "Faugheen is a wonderful horse. He has jumped better, he missed the second-last.
"It was a massive call not to ride Hurricane Fly. When you see what Hurricane Fly was doing at home, it was a big call to get off him.
Saddling his third winner of a dream day, Mullins said: "What a team effort. Ruby said he was going to make it and win it. This is beyond our wildest dreams. It's just too good to be true.'
Walsh made his intentions clear as he took Faugheen to the head of the line before the tapes went up.
He set a steady pace with The New One and Jezki, last year's winner, not letting him get too far away until upping the tempo from three out.
There was no let up as Faugheen stormed clear in the straight to win in impressive fashion.
Victory in the feature race completed a remarkable hat-trick for Mullins and Walsh in the first three races of the four-day Festival after the wins of Douvan and Un De Sceaux earlier on the card.
Mullins said: "I don't know if I'm the first to train the first three (in the Champion), but if I am it's fantastic. I was hoping one of them might win it.
'Faugheen was fantastic, Ruby was fantastic. He dictated the pace, did what he did when he wanted and quickened when he wanted.
"I thought Hurricane Fly ran a fantastic race throughout and Arctic Fire - I can't see a rib on him yet, so I think there is far more improvement in him than the rest of them."
Source: AFP