Pied Piper v Vauban: who will come out on top between the star juveniles?

Friday: 1.30 CheltenhamJCB Triumph Hurdle (Grade 1) | 2m1f | 4yo+ | ITV/RTV

Wednesday was one of the wettest days seen at a festival and, after watering on Tuesday night, the ground was in a near unraceable state by the time they ran the bumper.

We had a drying day on Thursday and the switch to the New course also helped, but it still seems fair to assume the going will be testing for the traditional Gold Cup day curtain-raiser.

Willie Mullins had a glint in his eye when he saw the rain arrive. His gallop at Closutton has been described as one of the deepest in Ireland and his horses went through the slop like a Land Rover on Wednesday with Sir Gerhard, Energumene and Facile Vega relishing the test.

He is set to saddle another of his stars in Vauban who, by all accounts, goes up the molasses-like gallop at Closutton as well as anything in the yard, and he renews rivalry with Pied Piper. The pair met on heavy at Punchestown on their hurdles debuts in December.

On that occasion, it was Pied Piper who came out on top by half a length, but should Vauban be considered the moral winner? He made a bad mistake at the last and closed fast at the line.

I timed both runners from the last and got 12.73 seconds for Pied Piper, but 12.5 seconds for Vauban and that means Vauban made about a length on Pied Piper in quite a short space of time. A literal interpretation suggests Vauban would’ve won with a better final leap.

That form stacks up well, too, when you consider HMS Seahorse was 15 lengths adrift in third and he was beaten just three and a half lengths in fourth in the Fred Winter on Tuesday.

Pied Piper and Vauban have both won since. Pied Piper recorded a Topspeed of 108 when coasting home in the trial over course and distance in January and that is 11lb higher than the figure Vauban achieved when he won a Grade 1 at Leopardstown's Dublin Racing Festival.

However, Vauban's race was run slowly and he quickened well enough to be awarded a Racing Post Rating that is 3lb higher than anything Pied Piper has managed to muster.

There evidently isn't much between them and it should be a fantastic rematch between two of the ascending stars of Irish racing. Mullins won the first rematch this week with Energumene beating Shishkin in Wednesday's Champion Chase and Vauban can do the same to Pied Piper.

The Irish challenge looks strong, but are we in danger of underestimating the British horses?

The British runners have held their own this week and the two big hopes from the home team are also on course for a rematch. Knight Salute and Porticello met in the Summit at Doncaster in December and it was Knight Salute who came out in front by three quarters of a length.

That form also stacks up well, with fourth-placed Too Friendly going on to finish a place behind HMS Seahorse when fifth in the Fred Winter on Tuesday. That would suggest this British pair might be a bit closer to Pied Piper and Vauban than many would have expected.

Knight Salute and Porticello are, like Pied Piper and Vauban, both unbeaten since then, but heavy ground should suit Porticello better than Knight Salute judged on hurdles form so far. It's likely Porticello gets revenge and reverses Doncaster places, without beating the Irish duo.
Race analysis by Graeme Rodway

Mullins and Elliott dominate the market

Willie Mullins and Gordon Elliott have complete control over the front end of the JCB Triumph Hurdle market, with three horses whose form is entwined dominating the betting.

The market favours the Mullins-trained Vauban, who already has a verdict over Fil Dor but was half a length behind that rival's Gordon Elliott-trained stablemate Pied Piper at Punchestown in December.

Vauban supporters have reason to believe he can turn the tables on Pied Piper considering that Punchestown defeat came on his first start for Mullins and his chance was compromised with a significant mistake at the last.

There was no shortage of confidence behind Vauban that day as he went off 4-9 favourite, and he built on that run with a comfortable defeat of Fil Dor in the Grade 1 Spring Juvenile Hurdle at Leopardstown last month.

Vauban's rider Paul Townend saidin his Ladbrokes blog: "He is very closely matched with Pied Piper on their run in a maiden hurdle. We improved to beat Fil Dor the next day at Punchestown, and Pied Piper came here and gained some experience. I don’t think there’s much between them. They’re two exceptionally good novices’ and I think we were more of a novice the first day and we have more room for improvement.

"Pied Piper looks more professional in everything he’s done when he beat us and was exceptionally good here again. I think we have a little bit more potential. Hopefully he can put it all together and come out the right side of the tussle this time.

Pied Piper is 'talented'

Elliott suggested previously that Fil Dor leads the juvenile pecking order at Cullentra but, crucially perhaps, Pied Piper already has winning form at Cheltenham, not coming off the bridle to win a Grade 2 trial for this race by nine lengths in January.

He also has plenty of experience from his days on the Flat, where he was a 96-rated performer for John Gosden and the Queen.

"The form of Pied Piper's maiden hurdle win at Punchestown has obviously worked out very well and he was very good when he came to Cheltenham in January," said Elliott. "He's talented and has answered every question we have thrown at him so far. He's well up to this challenge."

Fil Dor, who like Pied Piper now races in the colours of Caldwell Construction, is officially rated the equal of his stablemate and 4lb inferior to Vauban, and was already a dual Graded winner before finishing second to the favourite last time.

Elliott said: "Fil Dor has done little wrong this season, even last time at Leopardstown. This track and ground should play to his strengths."

As well as Vauban, Mullins runs Il Etait Temps, who came from an unpromising position to finish third in the Spring Juvenile on his first start for the yard, and Icare Allen, who finished fifth in the same race before landing a Fairyhouse Grade 3 with ease.

'A good result for for racing'

Milton Harris is hoping for a fairytale result with bargain-buy Knight Salute, who has emerged as arguably Britain's leading juvenile hurdler with a five-race unbeaten sequence.

Bought for just 14,000gns out of Andrew Balding's yard where he was officially rated 91 on the Flat, Knight Salute has climbed to a mark 140 over hurdles with three Grade 2 wins, including victory in the Adonis last time.

Having beaten the likes of Porticello and Teddy Blue already, he now faces the best juveniles from Ireland and Harris is hoping Knight Salute can make his presence felt again.

"It would be good for racing if he could win, quite apart from a selfish point of view, because it gives people who are enthusiastic, but can't afford to spend hundreds of thousands, optimism," he said.

"He's a competitive and combative individual and I suspect if we're on their heels at the last, they'll know they're in a street fight."

Although officially rated the equal of the reopposing Porticello, he has already edged that rival out when the pair met in South Yorkshire in December.

"I was most impressed with his win at Doncaster, where he beat Porticello on ground that wasn't suitable," said Harris. "He can't have done anything more and the only reason he hasn't run in a Grade 1 is there hasn't been one available for him."

What they say

Dan Skelton, trainer of Doctor Parnassus
We've been gearing towards this. He's had two runs and two wins. He's run against two fields that he's beaten very easily but we don't know how he stacks up against the best ones.

Gary Moore, trainer of Porticello and Teddy Blue
There's not a lot between Porticello and Knight Salute. The rain earlier in the week was certainly good news for Porticello and, if the ground was as soft as it was on Wednesday, then I think we might be able to turn the form from Doncaster around. The Irish have been very impressive but it was a very good performance from Porticello at Haydock last time and I think he's improving with each run. It would have been very interesting if Teddy Blue had jumped the last cleanly at Kempton last time but that's what they're there for. He's a very talented horse but wouldn't want it too soft. He's Flat bred and would be a little bit sharper than Porticello.
Reporting by Lewis Porteous

Friday's Cheltenham Festival previews:

2.10 Cheltenham: 'He's got a big chance' - who fancies their chances in a red-hot County Hurdle?

2.50 Cheltenham: 'He's got the class and the form' - leading Albert Bartlett quotes and insight

3.30 Cheltenham: leading trainers on their chances of winning the 2022 Cheltenham Gold Cup

4.10 Cheltenham: which trainer is taking the best horse he's ever brought to Cheltenham?

4.50 Cheltenham: Willie Mullins once again has good reason to be hopeful about the mares' chase

5.30 Cheltenham: 'He'll run a huge race' - is there a dark horse lurking in the Martin Pipe?

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