Monkfish maintained his unbeaten record over fences with a comprehensive success in the Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase at Cheltenham on Wednesday.

A narrow winner of the Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle at last year’s Festival, the Willie Mullins-trained chestnut was the 1/4 favourite to strike gold in the Cotswolds for a second time, having been faultless in three previous chase starts.

It was not entirely plain sailing for odds-on backers, with The Big Breakaway more than matching Monkfish in the jumping department for much of the three-mile contest, before Paul Townend’s mount displayed his superior class to move clear before the home turn.

The presence of the riderless Eklat De Rire, who unseated Rachael Blackmore earlier in the race, will have had Monkfish’s supporters sweating in the home straight, as would a mistake at the final fence.

But it ultimately made no difference to the result, with the giant seven-year-old galloping up the hill to score by six and a half lengths from Fiddlerontheroof.

NERVE-RACKING

Mullins said: “I think it’s the most nerve-racking race I’ve ever watched - 1/4 on in a three mile chase around Cheltenham is not great for the ticker, especially the way he jumped the last as he did.

“Chatting to Paul (Townend) he said he was idling on the first circuit as he was watching the Jeep with the camera and the men at the hurdles and the fences, anything bar concentrate on his jumping. He was just idling and not concentrating.

“When he started racing beside Colin Tizzard’s horse (The Big Breakaway) things were better then. At least the loose horse stayed straight but it was very nerve wracking for me. He quickened away though without a horse going with him.

“Once I got over my fright at the last I was impressed how he pulled away going to the winning post. The first time he ran for me he was a slow staying three mile hurdler so I’m amazed at the amount of improvement he has made. He was just learning and was very green coming from the point-to-point field. He is learning all the time. The performance he put in here last year was fantastic and he has come back and boosted it. I imagine that will be his aim (Gold Cup).

LACK OF CONCENTRATION

“I think the lack of concentration was the lack of runners in a race. Once you go into a Gold Cup field they will be going much faster and they will be racing. Paul felt he wasn’t racing for the first circuit and he was schooling. Racing itself will take care of that (jumping) a faster race, better race and better horses around him. He said it got very tight (with loose) horse and he was like me in the stands both our hearts took a jump but he got over it.”

In an interview with ITV Racing, Mullins added: “That was heart-stopping. I’ll have to thank James McCarthy heart surgeon in the Blackrock Clinic for the good job he did on this (my heart)! When he made a mistake at the last, or whatever he did I don’t know, it was even harder to watch on the replay.

“He put a quick one in early at the fence going up the hill and it just seemed to unsettle him. Paul asked him for one or two, got him back in his rhythm and he seemed to miss another one.

“He’s such a good horse, it’s great he’s come Cheltenham twice and won twice and he looks a smart one for the future.”

Winning jockey Paul Townend told ITV Racing: “[When I first arrived at Willie Mullins’] it was just at the end of Florida Pearl and Alexander Banquet time, they were the horses I idolised growing up and this lad looks like he could be making up to that type of horse.

“It wasn’t foot perfect today, but he’s got the job done and the further I got up the hill, the better. The further we got in the race, even, the better he was going.

“Early on in the race we just weren’t on the same wavelength I suppose. There’s a lot of pressure riding these fancied horses, don’t get me wrong I know how lucky I am to be riding them, but you have to perform on them as well.”

STILL MATURING

When asked whether the horse enjoyed the chase track or perhaps wasn’t at his very best, Paul added: “I think he does things so easily and he is still maturing so much that he just takes everything in. There’s plenty to look at out in the country here even. There’s the Jeep driving beside us and plenty of people scattered around the track still, signs everywhere, he just looks at everything [he’s just maturing].

“I would really like to take the opportunity to thank Jennifer Pugh and her team for getting us here. They did a lot of work and we are very grateful.”