Gaelic Warrior showcased what talent he possesses when coming home a commanding winner of the Grade 1 Arkle Challenge Trophy Novices' Chase at the Cheltenham Festival.
The enigmatic six-year-old was winning at the Cheltenham Festival for the first time having finished runner-up in both the 2022 Fred Winter and Baring Bingham last season.
A former Grade 1 winner over hurdles, he made a striking impression on his chasing debut at Punchestown last November before readily accounting for the reopposing Il Etait Temps in the Grade 1 Faugheen Novice Chase at Limerick over Christmas.
Willie Mullins' characterful bay showed plenty of pre-race antics before unseating in a match with Fact To File, who is a warm order for the Brown Advisory Novices' Chase tomorrow, in the Ladbrokes Novice Chase at the Dublin Racing Festival last season, but seemed aided by the application of a first-time hood and a strong gallop when jumping fluently this afternoon.
A keen-going Matata ensured there was plenty of pace up front, with Paul Townend more than happy to bide his time tracking the leaders throughout much of the two-mile novice chase.
Having shown a tendency to jump right-handed on multiple occasions, the Rich Ricci-owned son of Maxios showed no such signs at Prestbury Park in the first-time hood and although Found A Fifty looked set to pose a huge threat jumping to the front over the second last, a quick shake of the reigns from Paul Townend would see his mount wing the final flight before producing a telling turn of foot up the Cheltenham hill.
Gordon Elliott's Found A Fifty would stick on best to fill the runner-up spot but he ultimately proved no match for the well-backed 2/1 favourite, who drew away for a ready eight-and-a-half length victory.
Stablemate Il Etait Temps finished a further four- and three-quarter lengths behind in third.
"You could see what difference a hood made to him. He wasn't trying to jump right, and Paul could ride a race on him," said Mullins, who was recording a remarkable 95th Cheltenham Festival success.
"I thought coming down the hill 'what was I doing running him over three miles last season when he has that speed'. I think he has enough class now to do two miles and he'll probably stick to that game now, although you could push him out to the Ryanair distance as well. He's very adaptable.
"When you saw how good he was at Limerick at Christmas you wouldn't believe he could run like he did at Leopardstown at the Dublin Racing Festival, I don't know what happened.
"I thought he was going to boil over again in the parade ring, but once he got out and away from the crowd, he became a lot more settled. It made him so much easier to ride in the hood.
"I think he's found his calling now; he looks a Champion Chaser; he could be a Ryanair horse and he won over three miles over hurdles.
"It's satisfying to get a win here with him after watching what he does at home all the time, to do it in the Arkle is fantastic.
"It's a huge relief to get one on the board, when we got beaten in the first, I felt 'oh no' when it looked like we had it won."
