Poniros (100/1) became the longest-priced winner ever of the Grade 1 JCB Triumph Hurdle on Friday at Cheltenham.

The Golden Horn gelding becomes the joint-longest priced horse to score at the Festival in the modern era alongside fellow 100/1 chances Nortons Coin (1990 Cheltenham Gold Cup) and Hipparchus (1954 Grand Annual Handicap Chase).

Making his first public start over hurdles, Poniros got up to defeat Lulamba by a neck with another three-quarters of a length back to 5/4 favourite East India Dock in third.

Mullins said: “He’s by Golden Horn, who I think is going to make a very good sire over jumps. He’s the sort of horse you’re looking for. I didn’t expect that. Did Tony Bloom back him? If he did, it wasn’t on my advice! We were hoping he would run well and be a nice horse for next year, so he’s ahead of schedule.

“We bought him in October, schooled him and gave him a break. We said we’d better drag him in from the field and get him ready for Cheltenham, and that’s what we did. But I didn’t expect any more than a nice run. We had a lot of horses in the race and they all came here with the same plan. I couldn’t believe it when I saw him flying through the middle of them. I just couldn’t believe it.

“You must remember that he came from the flat, so he had race experience - that’s a huge advantage. We’ve done plenty of jumping at home with him. I didn’t think he was sharp enough for this! I wasn’t really watching him. It was Lady Vega Allen I really fancied, and I thought, ‘right, she’s gone’, and I could see the blue colours of Tony Bloom, and I thought, ‘well, he hasn’t got a runner for anyone else in the race!’

“I imagine he’ll go to Punchestown, and then we’ll find something at Royal Ascot, perhaps. He was bought as a dual-purpose horse, and I am hoping in time he might turn into a Melbourne Cup horse - that would be the long-term plan.”

Jonjo O’Neill Jr said: “It’s crazy. It’s a funny old game. I was supposed to be in Doncaster today. After declarations, Alain Cawley, my agent, said that Willie was looking for a jockey. He actually said I should stay in Doncaster, but I said that the way this week is going, I’d much rather be riding one of Willie’s. Anything of Willie’s has a chance. It’s unbelievable. That’s his first ever appearance over hurdles in public. What a place!

“He was actually very good. I spoke to everyone and they said that he’d been very straightforward, but obviously first time out in the Triumph is not so easy. But he was very good. He was a proper juvenile, to be honest. He was into the boards and had a little bit of scope. I felt coming down the hill I was going to definitely nick a little bit, I just felt coming towards the last that they weren’t getting away from me. Stamina just kicked in.

“I couldn’t have imagined having two winners this week, no. I was really hoping for one, and when we lost Springwell Bay, I thought it isn’t going to be my week. Luckily Jagwah did it, and we were really just here for a good time today. It’s turned into an even better time.

“The fact that he hadn’t run over hurdles didn’t bother me - Willie wouldn’t have had him in the Triumph if he couldn’t jump. He’d been well schooled, and I spoke to Rachael and Danny and Paul, and Patrick and Brian Hayes, and they all said he’d be absolutely fine, he’d had an engine and just might lack experience. It’s some training performance.”

Nicky Henderson, trainer of runner-up Lulamba, said: “As Nico said the winner has come so late that he couldn’t see him and therefore couldn’t respond to him.

“We are only a baby, and that is only the third run of his life. He will have learnt an awful lot today. He was just a little untidy on the way around.

“Off that pace, when you don’t know a lot, it was tough for him, but he has got there. He has won the battle, but lost the war.

“He has had the fight that everyone expected and he fought his way back out of that. He is going to be lovely and you can see by the size of him he is not for this season.

“He has got a great temperament and a great attitude. He will have learnt more today than in all of his life I would say.

“He is not built like your typical Triumph Hurdle horse. East India Dock and the winner were good flat horses. This one wouldn’t win a flat race with a day’s head start!

“It is certainly not out of the question to switch him to fences next season. Rather like we did with Sir Gino this season it was let’s see where Constitution Hill is and how everybody is going. He is going to be very special.”

James Owen, trainer of the third East India Dock, said: “He ran a cracker and he has done nothing wrong. I thought he had won jumping the last.

"He just got out run up the straight by Lulamba, who is going to be a very good horse, and the winner, who is an unknown, but is one that has a huge amount of ability to do that on his debut. I’m proud of our horse.

“He jumped well enough, and although he made one little mistake, he was quick over them. It is not easy to win here as we are finding out, but we will keep coming.

“I think we will mix and match between the jumps and the flat as he has an attractive handicap mark.”