2023 Cheltenham Festival Preview: Facile Vega looking to get back to winning ways

According to Sky Sports Racing and Eventmasters’ Horse Racing Ambassador Matt Chapman, Willie Mullins’ Facile Vega is an ‘absolute banker’ to win the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle at the 2023 Cheltenham Festival, which gets underway on Tuesday 14^th March.

Chapman said (via Sky Sports):

“I think he’s an absolute good thing, an absolute banker. Willie Mullins and Paul Townend will kick themselves a bit with this horse because they’re jointly responsible for the craziness of him last time.

“When he won the Champion Bumper and the Grade One at Punchestown, he was held up in midfield, but because they thought he was so much better than the rest they let him bowl along and was too free and over raced.

“I believe they’ll drop him right out the back in this and I predict he’ll come there like Unsinkable Boxer (who won the 1998 Pertemps Final).”

Facile Vega was the favourite in many people’s eyes to win the Supreme Stayers’ Hurdle at the 2023 Cheltenham Festival. He was labelled as the favourite after some impressive form over hurdles.

Ridden by Paul Townsend, Facile Vega competed at Fairyhouse in the Fingal Ravens Raceday Maiden Hurdle (Division 2) on Saturday 3^rd December 2022. The Ireland trained horse beat off competition from An Mhi (Ireland), Wild Dollar (Ireland), Smooth Player (Ireland) and Dontlettheoldmanin (Ireland) to win the race.

Following this spectacular victory at Fairyhouse, Facile Vega competed in the Paddy Power Future Champions Novice Hurdle (Grade One) at Leopardstown a few weeks later on Tuesday 27^th December 2022.

Incredibly, all the horses that finished in the top three of the race are trained by Willie Mullins. Facile Vega, ridden by Paul Townsend once again won the race, with Il Etait Temps (France, Danny Mullins) and Ashroe Diamond (Ireland, Patrick Mullins) in second and third respectively.

France’s Path D’oroux and Intranet finished close behind Willie Mullins’ trio of horses in fourth and fifth.

Unfortunately for Mullins and Facile Vega, it was a disappointing overall performance at the 2023 Dublin Racing Festival in February. After failing to finish in the top five of the Ladbrokes Dublin Chase (Grade One), it was only a 5^th place finish in the Tattersalls Ireland Novice Hurdle (Grade One).

By the end of the race, Facile Vega was trailing the leader by 20 lengths. Stablemate and leader Il Etait Temps won the race, with Inthepocket (Great Britain), Dark Raven (Ireland) and Irish Point (Ireland) separating the two Mullins horses.

Willie Mullins and Facile Vega will not give up though, and are still amongst the favourites to win the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle at the 2023 Cheltenham Festival.

As official hospitality suppliers for Cheltenham Festival appointed directly by Cheltenham Racecourse, Eventmasters are delighted to provide Cheltenham Festival hospitality packages in 2023, should you wish to go down the hospitality route.