Jasmin De Vaux added to last year’s Champion Bumper success when staying on strongly to strike in the Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle at Cheltenham.

Paul Townend gave the six-year-old a patient ride but came through smoothly to take control entering the home straight.

Market leader The Big Westerner threw down a strong challenge at the final flight but 6/1 chance Jasmin De Vaux maintained his advantage on the run-in to prevail by two and a half lengths and give trainer Willie Mullins his fourth win of the day.

Mullins said: “We’ve done a lot of schooling with him and he’s just so unnatural jumping and Paul said he made a mess of the third-last, but he jumped the last two well when we wanted.

“We know he has an engine and it’s just about getting him from A to B, and going that bit slower over a longer trip has made the difference – he might jump his fences better than hurdles next year and we might go novice chasing with him.

“Most of our Champion Bumper winners have been stayers and on his pedigree and class it was worth trying the longer race.

“It probably took me by surprise how well he has come through the field and seeing him sat last there, I was wondering could he come from that far back? But Paul gave him a very confident ride and the frame of mind he is in at the moment, he just makes things happen.

“Once he got over the third-last I felt confident and definitely after the second-last I felt it was his to lose, but then again that last flight of hurdles, with probably one of the worst jumpers in racing, I guess there was always something to worry about.

“I thought for half a second when he landed over the last he might have thrown it away, but he did enough up the hill anyway.”