KITZBUHEL is the latest to emerge from the Willie Mullins stable as a top-class two-miler, and his impressive victory in the Red Mills Trial Hurdle on Saturday makes him one to note for the spring, writes Page Fuller.

There were only modest fractions set on the front end, and it quickly turned into a sprint for the last half a mile.

To put this into context, Kitzbuhel only posted one sub-16 second furlong before the last half a mile and then his second last furlong was run in 12.81 seconds. What was most impressive about it was his ability to maintain it to the line as well.

His second last furlong was not the quickest of the field, it was Break My Soul that achieved that, but his final furlong was the only sub-14 second furlong posted by any runners in the race.

His jumping was pretty good on his first start over British and Irish hurdles at Punchestown in December, scoring 7.7 on the Jump Index. But this time, he was even better. His Jump Index of 8.5 at Gowran puts him at the standard he needs to be for this division, and it is going to be exciting to see how he weighs in for some of the big Festivals in the spring.