BROWN Advisory Novices’ Chase winner Lecky Watson may have returned at a price of 20/1, but those involved in his beginnings had every faith in Willie Mullins’ outsider.

“We all backed him,” reported Marie Harding, whose Glen Stables sold the chesnut to Mullins and Harold Kirk for €60,000 at the Tattersalls Ireland Derby Sale.

“Now, it was two euro each-way all round, I’d say! Since he went over fences, he looks a completely different horse. He looks like he’s loving it.”

That said, Lecky Watson was Grade 1-placed over hurdles, and was unfortunate not to have won more, according to Harding.

“He was unlucky over hurdles, and he was unlucky in bumpers. He was unlucky actually in the Champion Bumper [finished fourth], in that he got stuck in traffic, and in his very first bumper he got pushed around as well.”

Harding sold Lecky Watson on behalf of Yvonne and Brian Kylie from Bandon, with Yvonne having bought him as a foal for €12,000 at the Goffs December NH Sale.

“We had him for sales prep, and to be honest, from day one, he was very straightforward,” Harding says.

“Even look at the video of him on the Tattersalls Ireland website - he was such a beautiful mover. He was an easy horse to actually recommend to people.

“Going up to sales, I thought he would be value, that he wouldn’t be too dear. I told loads of people about him; I told the point-to-point lads to go buy this fella.

“Sure, the way things happened, he made an awful lot more than everyone thought he’d make at the time, but he just showed himself so well.

“He went from one side to the other with a few strides, with the way he trotted.”

Sales horses don’t always make racehorses, as Harding admits: “Sometimes, the really pretty horse is just no good, but this guy, he seems to be very tough with it.

“He actually wore a hood early on at the time, but now, he just does what he has to do, and he’s always able to pull out that little bit more.”

Jasmin De Vaux completed a Grade 1 Cheltenham Festival double for Glen Stables when landing the Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle on Friday.

Previously successful in last year’s Champion Bumper, he was sold at the Goffs Arkle Sale on behalf of Fendal Farms Ltd and Mr. Colm Phelan to the Crawford brothers for €28,000.

That same week, Harding sold Personal Ambition to Ger O’Connor for €65,000. Though he disappointed in Thursday’s Plate, he has a Grade 2 win to his name, to the benefit of his half-sister being offered at the Arkle Sale.

Earlier in the week, fellow Grade 2 winner Take No Chances finished third to Lossiemouth in the Mares’ Hurdle on Tuesday. She was sold by Glen Stables at the Tattersalls Ireland May Sale for €20,000.

At the time of writing on Friday afternoon, there is a chance that Willitgoahead could continue a fantastic Festival for Glen Stables, as he has a leading chance in the hunters’ chase.