MULLINS MANIA
Irish trainer Willie looks set to dominate the Prestbury Park contests
It’s like Christmas morning
.... the excitement is palpable
WILLIE Mullins and Paul Townend look set to dominate the Cheltenham Festival once again when the action gets under way this afternoon.
The powerful duo are set to be responsible for four of the seven favourites on the opening day.
And Mullins could incredibly end up seeing one of his runners sent off the favourite in every single one of today’s contests.
Champion trainer Mullins is just six Festival victories away from becoming the first ever person to train 100 winners at the famous meeting.
It seems to be a case of when rather than if he will reach the milestone this week.
The Carlow handler’s runners
Tullyhill and Mystical Power are vying for favouritism at the top of the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle market, which kicks off the action at 1.30pm.
Mullins also has three towards the top of the betting in the Arkle –
Gaelic Warrior,
Il Etait Temps and Hunters
Yarn – before
JP Mcmanus’ recent purchase Meetingofthewaters runs in the Ultima
Handicap Chase.
And if the master of Closutton has multiple winners on the board by then, the bookies will really be running for cover before 1/3 favourite State Man aims to give Mullins a fifth Champion Hurdle success in the day’s feature race, with another odds-on favourite in Lossiemouth expected to take all the beating in the Mares’ Hurdle.
Nicola Mcgeady of Ladbrokes said: “Mullins mania has swept the nation ahead of day one of the festival.
“Wherever Mullins goes, money follows and punters will be keeping everything crossed that the banker double of State Man and Lossiemouth gets them off on the right foot.” Sharon Mchugh, spokesperson for Boylesports, added: “It’s like Christmas morning… the excitement is palpable as the Cheltenham Festival gets under way.
“There’s been a lot of mention from scared bookies about multiples involving Galopin Des Champs and bets at big odds on Hewick in the Gold Cup on Friday, but today we’ll be trying to get our nose ahead in the curtain raiser on Day 1!
“It’s Henry de Bromhead’s Slade Steel that has caught the eyes of punters in the Supreme Novices and we’ve seen plenty of money for him over the last 24 hours.”
Meanwhile, legendary jockey Barry Geraghty believes that
Mullins will once again have more winners than every British trainer put together as Irish handlers seek revenge for Ireland’s Six Nations defeat to England at Twickenham last weekend.
He said: “Willie Mullins, let alone the whole of Ireland, will have more winners than Great Britain by the looks of it.
“The only Grade 1 I’d be confident in saying the British will win is the Turners, then I suppose the handicaps are wide-open.
“It’s hard to put a number on it, but I’d say they’d be lucky to have six winners over the four days, so we could be looking at something like
They’d be lucky to have six winners over the four days BARRY GERAGHTY BRITISH WIN HOPES
22-6! I suppose it’s just revenge for the rugby…”
But Geraghty thinks the opening race of the week could go to Gordon Elliott and provide jockey Jack Kennedy with his 12th Festival success.
The William Hill ambassador said: “I’m a Firefox fan. He scoped badly and was lame after disappointing at Naas and has some very smart form before that.”
Barry Geraghty is a William Hill ambassador. William Hill are giving all new and existing customers a €5 free bet for each day of the Cheltenham Festival.