Royal Ascot hero Sober emerged as a possible Cheltenham Festival contender with a clear-cut victory in the Sky Bet Moscow Flyer Novice Hurdle at Punchestown on Sunday.

The roll of honour for the Grade 2 contest reads like a who’s who of Willie Mullins-trained stars, with Mikael d’Haguenet (2009), Vautour (2014), Douvan (2015) and Impaire Et Passe (2023) among the 11 previous winners for Mullins.

Each of the above went on to win at Prestbury Park two months later, with Vautour and Douvan landing the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle and Mikael D’Haguenet and Impaire Et Passe successfully stepping up in trip for what is now the Turners’ Novices’ Hurdle, and Sober is likely to have both options following his impressive victory.

A 9/4 chance on what was his first start since winning the Queen Alexandra Stakes at the Royal meeting last summer, the seven-year-old travelled powerfully in the slipstream of Gordon Elliott’s front-running 8/11 favourite Road Exile on the approach to the final flight and he asserted on the run-in to win score by five and a half lengths.

Mullins’ assistant, David Casey, said: “He had a break after Ascot and I thought he might need a bit further, but I suppose his Flat class told and he put it to bed well. I’m very happy with what he did.

“Paul said he quickened very well, he probably quickened a little bit more than he expected but he was delighted with him. A truer-run race would probably suit him as well and hopefully he’ll improve plenty and keep going forward.

“He’s in the two-mile race at the Dublin Racing Festival but my guess is he won’t go there as it’s too close.

“He jumped a bit sketchy at the first but after that Paul said he was good.”

Casey suggested he could later revert to the Flat.

He added: “He could end up back at Ascot again and is owned by Australians, so he could head out there in November (for the Melbourne Cup).”

Last to first

Kappa Jy Pyke came from last to first to add his name to the illustrious roll of honour in the SkyBet Super Sub Novice Chase.

Envoi Allen (2021), Bob Olinger (2022), Spillane’s Tower (2024) and Kappa Jy Pyke Sky’s subsequent Cheltenham Festival-winning stablemate Lecky Watson (2025) are among the recent winners of this Grade 3 prize and a small but select field of five went to post for this year’s renewal.

Kappa Jy Pyke, who had inflicted a shock defeat on his esteemed stablemate Salvator Mundi on his fencing debut at Thurles in November, was the apparent second string of two runners for champion trainer Willie Mullins, with Predators Gold the 4/6 favourite in the hands of stable jockey Paul Townend.

The latter set out to make all the running and looked the likely winner between the final two fences, but Danny Mullins had kept his powder dry for a late challenge aboard 5/1 shot Kappa Jy Pyke, timing his run perfectly to grab the lead on the run-in and he was ultimately impressive in scoring by three and a half lengths, with Gordon Elliott’s Jacob’s Ladder coming through to beat Predators Gold to the runner-up spot.

Of the winner, Mullins’ assistant David Casey said: “He was good. He obviously won well the first day.

“We thought he was a decent horse last year over hurdles but he disappointed for no reason after winning his maiden hurdle. I’d say he’s just strengthened up a bit this year.

“It looked like they went a nice gallop on the ground and I thought he jumped really quick early in the race and was wondering would he come back in trip as he was jumping so fast.

“Danny said he relaxed when he pulled him out and he put it to bed well at the back of the last.

“We thought he was a stayer last year, but at the moment you would say that trip (two and a half miles) suits him.”