THE victory of Gala Marceau (139) proved to be the first of three Grade 1 triumphs for Danny Mullins aboard an apparent Closutton second string as Willie Mullins demonstrated a similar squad depth to the one Pep Guardiola enjoys at Manchester City.

Jourdefete eventually finished a distant last, carrying the same colours as odds-on favourite Lossiemouth although, before disappearing from the screen, he played a significant role in the final outcome, which was not at all positive for the Susannah Ricci ownership.

The grey gelding set a bold sight in front as he took the field along at what was the strongest pace of the day.

However, his greater impact was when fading out of contention after jumping the third last hurdle, falling back into the lap of Lossiemouth (138+).

Paul Townend was powerless to avoid the interference, while at the same time Danny Mullins moved into the slip stream of the new leader, Cinsa, which proved the winning move of the race.

A closing sectional of 79.8secs was enough to see the Kenny Alexander-owned filly home as the favourite endured a wide trip into the home straight because of the interference, before running on strongly.

A comparison of the two Mullins’ runners from the second last hurdle indicates Lossiemouth would have prevailed with a smoother passage as she covered the ground in 42.6secs, inclusive of the wide trip, compared to the winner’s 42.7secs with a straight run to the finish.

In the circumstances, it is no surprise to see the runner-up retain her place at the head of the market for the Triumph Hurdle, although even if prevailing here she would still need to improve further to rate higher than stablemate and second favourite for the race, Blood Destiny.