FIVETOFOLLOW

CILLIAN Murphy might have won the Best Actor Oscar earlier this week but today at Cheltenham it looks near certain that Willie Mullins will collect the gong for Best Director.

Mullins’ academy of equine stars have been arriving here all week in huge numbers and today he will edge close to achieving that remarkable century of Festival wins. (**CHECK AFTER DAY ONE**)

Ballyburn, Fact To File and El Fabiolo are his A-list stars lining up this afternoon with a stellar supporting cast ready to pounce in case any of the big names fluff their lines. Indeed It’s a plot line we’ve seen many times before. Mullins has won the Queen Mother Champion Chase for the past two seasons with Energumene, but with him injured, EL FABIOLO (3.30) looks the perfect understudy to step into the role of the two mile king.

Genuine

He was hugely impressive in taking last year’s Arkle Chase, proving far too good for Jonbon, a horse he lines up against again today.

Their rivalry has a genuine edge with the Nicky Henderson-trained eight-year-old having beaten El Fabiolo in a Grade 1 hurdle at Aintree in 2022.

This will be the third meeting between the pair with a planned Ascot Clarence House showdown in January scuppered due to an abandoned meeting.

Jonbon did go to Cheltenham the following week to take part in the rescheduled contest but it ended in a shock defeat to Elixir De Nutz after a shuddering jumping error four out knocked him sideways.

In truth he did well to get to within a neck of the winner having some within millimetres of unseating jockey James Bowen but it wasn’t a display that gave much confidence to the theory that he can beat El Fabiolo again.

The Willie Mullins-trained sevenyear-old is unbeaten since that 2022 Aintree loss and has strolled to successes in the Hilly Way at Cork and in a Grade 1 at the Dublin Racing Festival this season.

He looks every inch a Champion Chaser and it will be a massive surprise if he doesn’t give Mullins and Townend a hat-trick of wins in the day two feature.

It’s one of those days where it’s impossible to get away from Mullins but the Coral Cup looks like a race where anything can happen, and it’s definitely the most open of the day.

We’ll take a very wild swing with BLACK BAMBOO (2.40) for Corkbased trainer John Murphy, who won the Champion Chase here with Newmill in 2006.

He ran a really eye-catching race at the Dublin Racing Festival when sixth to Maxxum in a competitive handicap hurdle, having got into some traffic difficulties and there’s no double he would have been closer with a clearer run.

A maiden hurdle run behind the smart High Class Hero during the summer also jumps off the page, the seven-year-old only beaten five lengths by the horse who is vying for Albert Bartlett Hurdle favouritism on Friday.

Spin

He’s relatively unexposed and off a very lightweight he can give Michael O’Sullivan a good spin and perhaps nick a place at big odds.

Despite Mullins’ utter domination it could also prove to be a decent day for Gordon Elliott.

GALVIN (4.10) started as short as 100-30 for the 2022 Gold Cup there’s a suspicion that he is the forgotten horse in the Cross Country, despite having finished runner-up last year.

The race may be deferred to Friday as the saturated track has to pass an 8am inspection.

Minella Indo and Delta Work are two high-class opponents but Galvin is a proven performer in this sphere and is possibly ranked the outsider of the three big guns having struggled to concede weight here in November and December.

Today’s race is not a handicap though, like the pre-Christmas contents are, and after an eye-catching effort in the Boyne Hurdle at Navan he looks primed for a big run.

Gordon Elliott has used that prep with both Tiger Roll and Delta Work (who also competed this year) and he looks a very strong contender even though he would prefer better ground – which he may get on Friday if it happens then.

The closing Champion Bumper is the most open renewal in years with the lack of a standout horse making it extremely difficult to work out – although we do fancy an Elliott inmate again.

Gigginstown have never won the race and very often swerve the contest in favour of Fairyhouse and Punchestown later in the season with their good bumper horses.

Serious

However, they send on today and it looks to have a serious chance of giving the Michael O’Leary-owned operation a first success, with a horse they purchased here last year for an eye-watering €490,000.

So far, JALON D’OURFAIRIES (5.30) has looked every inch a superstar in the making, winning his two outings in impressive style at Fairyhouse and Leopardstown at Christmas.

He won a point-to-point over three miles before being sold but looks to have plenty of tactical speed too, and showed a telling turn of foot on both successes under rules.

Jack Kennedy has picked him ahead of The Yellow Clay and we agree.

The Grand Annual is tough but MADARA (4.50) won with enough in hand at the DRF to suggest he can cope with a 10lbs hike.

Sophie Leech’s gelding is only a fiveyear-old and is rapidly improving with her decision to go to Ireland paying handsome dividends last month.

The son of Doctor Dino also won here at Cheltenham in December and against some experienced and exposed handicappers he could just be a graded horse in a handicap.

The Jospeh O’Brien-trained Solness must also be something of a dark horse as he wasn’t far behind Madara at Leopardstown and meets him here 9lbs better off.