Punchestown Festival: Energumene delivers Chase double

Queen Mother Champion Chase hero Energumene supplemented his Cheltenham Festival triumph with a clear-cut victory over stablemate Chacun Pour Soi in the William Hill Champion Chase at Punchestown.

Having provided Willie Mullins with his first success in the two-mile chasing championship in the Cotswolds last month, Energumene was the 4-7 favourite to follow up under Paul Townend.

Chacun Pour Soi, so impressive when beating another Mullins ace in Allaho in this race 12 months ago, unseated Patrick Mullins at Cheltenham, but was the clear threat to his stable companion at 5-2.

On paper it looked match between the Closutton duo and so it proved as they upped the ante racing down the back straight to pull clear of Henry de Bromhead's pair of Envoi Allen and Captain Guinness.

There was little to choose between Energumene and Chacun Pour Soi heading to the third fence from home, but Energumene jumped it the better and it was obvious on landing he had more in the tank.

To his credit, Chacun Pour Soi did his level best to get back into it and was back upsides jumping the second-last, but Energumene asserted soon after and had eight and a half lengths in hand at the line.

Punchestown 5:25 - Favourite Energumene beats last years' victor Chacun Pour Soi in a real ding-dong battle between the two in the William Hill Champion Chase. #RTERacing pic.twitter.com/AmDHw0yZJS

Mullins said: "Patrick was setting it up in front and Energumene loved it, he was just jumping up beside Chacun Pour Soi. On this ground that was a tremendous performance.

"The ground would have suited most of the other horses in the race. I wasn't sure whether it would suit Energumene, but he went on it today anyhow.

"Chacun Pour Soi has had a great career and hopefully he'll