Benie Des Dieux, unbeaten in three steeplechase from mid-December of 2016 to early February, was switched to hurdles on Tuesday and won the biggest race of her career in the Grade 1 Mares' Hurdle at Cheltenham.

The $194,600 races at 2 1-2 miles was the fourth and final Grade 1 race on the seven-race program, the first of four days of the National Hunt festival for chasers and hurdlers.

Benie Des Dieux, who was ridden by Ruby Walsh, closed from fifth in the final half-mile to win by a half-length over 33-1 Midnight Tour. Apple's Jade, the winner of the 2017 Mares' Hurdle, finished third as the 1-2 favorite after racing near the front until the final quarter-mile.

Benie Des Dieux is trained by Willie Mullins and has won 6 of 10 starts. A 7-year-old mare by Great Pretender, Benie Des Dieux began her career in France where she won two hurdle races in 2014 and 2015.

Benie Des Dieux does not race often. She began her current winning streak with a win in a minor chase at Limerick, Ireland in December, 2016 and did not race again until she won a minor stakes in a chase at Carlisle, England on Dec. 3. Benie Des Dieux won her prep for Tuesday's race in a minor stakes for chasers at Naas, Ireland, on Feb. 10.