Triumphant return for Bachasson rounds off Mullins' year

With three of the five runners in the featured 2m4f conditions hurdle, two of which had not been seen since the spring, this was an important race for champion trainer Willie Mullins.

The dry autumn had meant that Killultagh Vic, the winner of this race last season, had not run since May and Bachasson not since his early fall in the Cheltenham Gold Cup.

On the day it was Bachasson, partnered by Ruby Walsh that dealt better with his extended layoff. Held up at the back of the field, he briefly looked in trouble when front-runner De Plotting Shed made the best of his way home from the second-last.

Willie Mullins interviewed after the success of BachassonCredit: Patrick McCann (racingpost.com/photos)

Yet in the hands of Walsh the seven-year-old picked up well to lead from the final flight, eventually beating Darasso by two and a quarter lengths with the Mullins-trained favourite Scarpeta back in third after another poor round of jumping. Killultagh Vic was a well beaten last of five.

It was an outcome that clearly surprised Mullins, who said: "It's great to have Bachasson back because he got a nasty injury after the Gold Cup. This was a nice race to bring him back in. I didn't dream he'd be straight enough to win, but he did it well."