Stayers’ Hurdle: Flooring Porter defends Cheltenham Festival crown after Danny Mullins riding masterclass | Racing News

Danny Mullins produced another riding masterclass as Flooring Porter successfully defended his Stayers’ Hurdle crown on day three of the Cheltenham Festival.

Concerns on how Flooring Porter (4/1) would react to a massive crowd after winning in near silence when the race was held behind closed doors last year were quickly allayed as the Gavin Cromwell-trained seven-year-old set out from the front over the three-mile trip.

He enjoyed an easy lead with Mullins able to control the race throughout and had enough in hand to see off his rivals at the business.

Flooring Porter ran out a cosy winner by two and three-quarter lengths from Thyme Hill with Paisley Park, the 2019 winner, a nose away in third.

Cromwell said: “The plan was to make it, but of course he has the issues with the start. We wanted to make the running and he was foot perfect everywhere.

“Danny was fantastic on him, when he jumped the third last he eased off and let him fill up, but to be honest I was worried he might get done for a turn of foot. Danny was cool though and knew what he was doing.

“I wasn’t too bad when he was down at the start as I was pretty confident he was going to be OK today, he seems to have matured and he’s behaved himself all the time he’s been here.

Cromwell hailed Mullins’ ride, adding: “Danny is so good on front runners, he has a serious clock in his head.

“He maybe did get an easier lead this year, whether they might not have felt he was as good as he was I don’t know.

“His jumping is unbelievable, he jumps more like a champion hurdler, he’s so slick, long or short, he gains ground at every hurdle.

“Last year was great but the crowd here is magic. I came here and won the Champion Hurdle with Espoir D’allen but he was an outsider, to win a big race with a fancied horse was brilliant, it all worked out.

“We’ll try to get him back here next year.”

Mullins added: “Everything went to plan. Big credit has to go to Gavin Cromwell, I love the horse but he’s quirky. His training is the reason we’re back here today again, Gavin’s done a fantastic job with this lad all year.

“I wasn’t too worried about the preliminaries, the more he gets into the season, the less gas is in his system. Gavin brought him over a few days early, he was a little bubbly one or two mornings but this morning we were very happy with him. He was relaxed and showing a spark again.

“It’s funny going into a race at Cheltenham with such confidence in the horse but we believed in him.”