Willie Mullins' Capodanno ran out the comfortable winner in the Cotswold Chase on Festival Trials Day at Cheltenham.

Paul Townend's mount beat The Real Whacker by two and three-quarter lengths, with Stay Away Fay third.

Trainer Mullins, seeking a fourth Gold Cup victory at Cheltenham in March, seems more likely to send the 7-2 winner to the Ryanair Chase.

"It's a special day, a good prize and a nice winner," said Townend.

"It was very straightforward and a small field. I was going to ride my horse to suit him and it worked out. He promised a performance like that.

"He showed as a novice he was going to be a force to be reckoned with but I don't think we got the clearest of runs with him, but they seem to be able to train him now and keep going with him and Ithought it was a good performance."

There was a sad postscript to the race as Coral Gold Cup winner Datsalrightgino sustained a fatal injury when falling early on.

Mullins and Townend also took the Unibet Hurdle with an impressive victory for Lossiemouth.

Noble Yeats fended off a late challenge from Andrew Gemmell's Paisley Park, who was seeking an unprecedented fourth victory in the Cleeve Hurdle.

"He toughed it up out there against an old warrior like Paisley - it's a great result," said trainer Emmet Mullins.

There was a major upset in the Clarence House Chase as 18-year-old jockey Freddie Gingell, riding Elixir De Nutz, beat favourite Jonbon.

It is a first Grade One victory for trainer Joe Tizzard.

"It's a special day and I didn't come here thinking I would win a Grade One, but I was happy to take our chance with a horse who has been brilliant all season," said Tizzard.

"He bounces off this ground, and drying ground all week has helped. Jonbon, what a mistake at the top of the hill, and he looked to have us beat. But we've probably outjumped him at the last.

"As long as they are all OK that's all right, but it was our day today and it's special."

At Doncaster, jockey Paddy Brennan was given a 10-day ban after mistakenly easing down and losing second place on favourite Young Buster in the concluding race won by Egbert.

Brennan was passed by the fast-finishing Snipe in the seven-runner contest.