Kitzbuhel (11/1) brought up a 143/1 double at Cheltenham on Wednesday for trainer Willie Mullins as he took the honours by three-quarters of a length from stable companion Final Demand (7/2) in the Grade 1 Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase.

Mullins said: “That was a hell of a performance. To make all in a Brown Advisory and then fight off what is a top horse in Final Demand – I thought Final Demand would have had his measure coming up the hill – what a brave performance.

“Things didn’t go right for him (Kitzbuhel) the last day, but certainly he bounced back to form today.”

Successful jockey Harry Cobden said: “I thought No Drama This End was my best chance of the week and I had no luck at all – everywhere I went I got stopped, I was always too far back and could never win from the second hurdle. It’s funny how 40 minutes changes your life.

“He (Kitzbuhel) is braver than I am, this little chap. Thank you to the owners and Willie Mullins for putting me on him. He’s a phenomenal horse and I’m delighted to be on board.

“He was brilliant today, he was very brave. He was lugging right the whole way and that was why I just kept him down the middle. I had to switch in down the hill, as I wanted to make them come round me. He was so brave – everywhere I asked him, he delivered. Credit to the horse, he is very, very tough.”

Paul Townend, rider of runner-up Final Demand, said: “He felt more like himself today. His jumping was much better and he carried me everywhere. That was more like the horse and I still thought I’d win when I jumped the last and even halfway up the run-in I thought so, but it’s brilliant for Joe and Marie, who have a torrid time with their horses this year.

“They are two very nice horses, smashing horses, but unfortunately I was on the wrong one today.”

Josh Moore, joint-trainer of third-placed Salver, said: “It’s a shame the ground’s dried out. He can run on that ground, but soft ground slows the others down. He jumped fantastic, he ran fantastic, he stayed and stayed and stayed. We’d probably be looking at the Graded races next season - a Betfair Chase or a Charlie Hall might suit him, if he gets slow ground.

“He’s had a hard race today and he’s had a good season, so we won’t be in a rush to do anything again, necessarily, this season, but we’ll see how he is.”

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