Willie Mullins underpinned his attempts at this week’s Cheltenham Festival by announcing 20 participants for Tuesday’s inaugural schedule. His lineup boasts the widely favoured State Man for the Unibet Champion Hurdle and has a contender in every one of the seven competitions on offer.
The final declaration stage on Sunday confirmed Lossiemouth for the Close Bros Mares Hurdle, and Mullins outfits half the field in the 12-runner opening race, the Sky Bet Supreme Novices Hurdle.
Gaelic Warrior will be ridden by Paul Townend, bypassing the Arkle trio of Mullins. This decision allows Danny Mullins to pair up once more with Il Etait Temps while Daryl Jacob will ride Hunter’s Yarn.
Townend has excused himself from the 22-runner frenzy in the Boodles Hurdle, instead, Patrick Mullins will pair up with Embassy Gardens for a keenly awaited National Hunt Chase confrontation against Corbetts Cross.
Mullins’ impressive array of contenders means he accounts for nearly 22% of the participants on the first day of the year’s most significant National Hunt meeting.
Mullins, firmly poised as the 1-10 favourite to lead the trainers this week, is on a quest for a six-victory haul that would land him in the 100-winner club at the Cheltenham Festival. His odds stand a 5-2 to better his personal best of 10 victories during a single week, a feat he accomplished two years ago including a remarkable five-win streak on the last day.
Mullins expressed his optimism over the weekend, “All the preparations for Cheltenham are now finished. Now it’s about hoping everything goes according to plan. We are extremely pleased with the team’s condition; they seem to be doing exceptional. If they perform to even half the standards that many are expecting, it would mark a rather successful week”
Gordon Elliott, Mullin’s sternest competitor, has 10 runners enlisted for Tuesday, whilst Paul Nicholls, the champion British trainer, starkly unveils the challenge the domestic team faces with a lone entry.
Despite Constitution Hill’s withdrawal and the incapability to defend his reigning Champion Hurdle title due to illness, Nicky Henderson remains hopeful with six opportunities in Tuesday’s events. He has also had to fend off claims regarding the wellbeing of Sir Gino, one of the only two cross-channel trained ante-post favourites of the week. Despite speculation, Henderson affirms that Sir Gino is all set for the Triumph Hurdle on Friday.
“I’m really unsure where these speculations have stemmed from,” commented Henderson. “It feels like a mind game at times which can be quite stressful. However, I assure you, Sir Gino is in fine form. He went through a schooling session on Thursday which was executed flawlessly. He ran his final bit of work finely as well. He is absolutely raring to go for his race on Friday.”
Going into the Cheltenham event, forecasts predict “soft” conditions following a wet weekend at Prestbury Park, though upcoming days are predicted to be mostly dry.
Harry Cobden, a highly regarded jockey, looks to join forces once more with Emmet Mullins’s 2022 Grand National Winner Noble Yeats for Thursday’s Stayers Hurdle. Cobden had formed a successful alliance with Noble Yeats during their victorious run on Trials Day in January.
Expressing his anticipation, Cobden shared, “I am looking forward to riding Noble Yeats in the Stayers. Though I don’t anticipate this to be my busiest week with around 12 or 13 significant rides, grabbing hold of one win would indeed be gratifying.”
Cobden, who is posed to receive his premier champion jockey title in Britain, also suggested that ignoring the previous year’s Gold Cup secondary place-getter Bravemansgame for Friday’s Blue Riband would be a mistake.
“He’s in terrific shape and exhibited an outstanding performance at Kempton last week. I’m really excited for the Gold Cup and think his odds (16-1) are quite generous. Clearly, Galopin Des Champs is the competitor to beat, and I wouldn’t dare to underestimate him as he has proved to be the highest-ranking horse on his day”.
Cobden highlighted the need to perform exceptionally well, given the competitor’s notable performance last year and on various occasions. The only other hope would be if his rival doesn’t perform at his best, although he emphasised that his rival has an excellent opportunity. Some companies anticipate Irish-trained horses will outperform the 23 victories recorded at the 2021 Festival, a total achieved in 28 matches, with odds standing at 9-1.
Cheltenham Festival’s veteran JP McManus celebrated his 73rd birthday, a day that coincidentally acknowledges the 73 victories he has celebrated in his iconic green and gold attire. On his birthday, McManus celebrated yet another victory, this time in Limerick’s Grade Three race where Bioluminescence led the Shannon Spray Mares Novice Hurdle with an impressive performance. Bioluminescence’s victory was even more remarkable as it was jockey Simon Torrens’ first ride on the powerful mare and they didn’t start racing until the later stages of the race, due to the poor ground conditions. Torrens was keen to keep her momentum going and secured good jumps at the last two stages. Torrens is optimistic that over time chasing will enhance her game.
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