Charme De Faust forced her way into the Cheltenham Triumph Hurdle conversation with a hard, clinical nine-length verdict in the 2m Maiden Hurdle at Thurles.
The Susannah and Rich Ricci-owned mare’s performance saw Paddy Power slash her Cheltenham Triumph Hurdle odds to 14-1 from 25-1 within hours.
Willie Mullins sent her out a 5-6 favourite and she justified that position with the sort of controlled aggression that separates a talking horse from a useful one. Paul Townend kept her in a rhythm, allowing her to travel with purpose before letting her lengthen clear of Dawn Coming after the last. Charme De Faust left the runner-up paddling as her stride opened up.
The most striking part was the way she operated at her obstacles. She met her hurdles on a stride, gained ground in the air and landed running, never asking Townend to reach for an emergency gear. That efficiency matters when you start projecting a horse towards the Triumph, where the tempo and the traffic punish anything that wastes energy at a hurdle.
Charme De Faust tipped to keep improving
Townend’s post-race assessment carried the weight of a rider who knows what a Mullins Festival horse feels like at this stage of the season.
“She handled the ground well and will improve as she had a couple of blows. She jumped brilliantly,” Townend said, as reported by Racing Post. “I liked how she did it and she has developing to do to fill into her frame. I think she’ll have a nice future and when she strengthens up. She’ll be a fine mare.”
That reference to having “a couple of blows” reads as fitness rather than fragility — a horse still building her engine. For punters, it underlines why the market moved so sharply — there’s a sense of untapped improvement once she thickens up and learns to sustain her pace for longer.
The Riccis have already struck seven times from 18 runners in Ireland this season, and Charme De Faust now looks another live one in their Cheltenham portfolio if Mullins chooses to roll the dice at the Festival.