OWNER Rich Ricci has paid tribute to his three-time Cheltenham Festival winner Vautour who was put down last weekend after breaking a leg while in a paddock at Willie Mullins’ yard.

The seven-year-old was expected to play a leading role in the King George VI Chase at Kempton this Christmas and he was among the favourites for the Cheltenham Gold Cup.

The accident happened on Sunday and Mullins told the media: “Vautour was out in the paddock with his usual companion Shaneshill. One of the girls went out to feed him. There didn’t appear to be anything untoward as Shaneshill was grazing away, but Vautour was found to have broken his foreleg. He goes out there every day and it’s just a freak accident. It’s tough to take.”

Speaking on At The Races on Monday, Ricci said: “We kept him outside this year because he’s a big, stuffy, gross type of a horse and we took a decision to keep him more outside in the clean air and he’d been thriving. So outside during the day, inside in the evening.

“So they went down to give him his food last night and they found him lying on the ground. We don’t know if he gave it (his leg) a bang, we don’t know what happened but it’s sad. My heart really went out to Willie because it’s not an easy phone call to make.

“Willie doesn’t ring me on Sunday unless it’s one of two things — either he’s seen something at Auteuil that he wants me to buy or it’s bad news on a horse. I let it ring three times. I just didn’t have the best feeling about it.”

Vautour won the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle in 2014, the JLT Novices’ Chase the following year and the Ryanair Chase last March. He was beaten narrowly in the King George VI Chase at Kempton last Christmas. He won 10 of his 16 starts overall, including five Grade 1s, and was last seen finishing second at the Boylesports Champion Chase at Punchestown in April.

The news of his demise broke on the same day that stable companion Avant Tout was fatally injured after pulling up in his Hennessy prep run at Naas.

Avant Tout, a winner at the Punchestown Festival for the last two years, was a leading contender for the Hennessy Gold Cup at Newbury and was having a prep run for the showpiece event in a fortnight’s time in this two-mile contest. However, he jumped awkwardly at the first fence and was swiftly pulled-up by Paul Townend.

The Supreme Horse Racing Club, in whose colours Avant Tout races, also lost four-time winner Ask Vic this week.

These three fatalities are a further blow to the strength of the Mullins yard which was seriously depleted in September when Gigginstown House Stud removed 60 horses from the stable over a training fees issue.