El Fabiolo to be crowned champion
El Fabiolo is difficult to oppose as he looks to double his Cheltenham Festival tally in today's Grade 1 Betway Queen Mother Champion Chase.
Willie Mullins' bay has been beaten just once since joining his current stable and is six from six since having his attentions turned to fences.
His novice chasing career last season was a clean sweep that saw him win the Irish Arkle, the Arkle and the Barberstown Castle Novice Chase, and he returned this season in equally good form to land both the Hilly Way and the Dublin Chase.
He now returns to Cheltenham and has any number of factors in his favour as he tries to maintain his flawless chasing record, including course and distance form and a liking for the expected soft ground.
In the opening Gallagher Novices' Hurdle it is Mullins' Ballyburn who can get the Closutton maestro off the mark on the second day of the meeting. The six-year-old had the option of running in both this race and yesterday's Supreme Novices' Hurdle as he is proven over both 3200m and 4000m.
His form at the longer trip is a 25-length maiden win at Leopardstown in December, where he beat subsequent winner Cleatus Poolaw out of sight when still on the bridle. He returned to the same track to contest the Grade 1 Tattersalls Ireland 50th Derby Sale Novice Hurdle, where he was an easy winner again over 3200m when prevailing by seven lengths.
His potential still remains untapped and he is certainly bred to get the trip, meaning the extra distance and the uphill finish may well bring out more improvement in him still.
Continuing the Mullins theme, Fact To File will line up in the Brown Advisory Novices' Chase with lofty expectations to fulfil, but he is expected to rise to the challenge.
Arguably the second-best bumper horse around last season, the gelding skipped a hurdling career and graduated straight to chasing, finishing second to American Mike on debut.
Next time out he defeated Zanahiyr by 17 lengths and although he faced only one rival in stablemate Gaelic Warrior on his most recent outing in the Grade 1 Ladbrokes Novice Chase, he was hugely impressive and the clock watchers were suitably impressed.
Everything suggests this step up to 4800m will be very much to his liking, not least because he was a 4800m point-to-point winner as a five-year-old.
In the Glenfarclas Chase, Minella Indo can enjoy a triumphant return to the scene of his finest hour for trainer Henry de Bromhead.
The 2021 Gold Cup winner, Minella Indo has recently turned his hand to the cross-country discipline as he lines up a tilt at the Grand National in April. His first attempt around the track came in the Glenfarclas Crystal Cup Cross Country Handicap Chase in December, and under top weight he took happily to the task to finish fourth when giving plenty of weight to all of the rivals ahead of him.
His Cheltenham form includes only one blip and now on level weights, he looks the real threat to Delta Work as that one bids to retain his title.
Mullins can resume his dominance in the Weatherbys Champion Bumper with You Oughta Know, the winner of two bumpers so far by margins of 11 and two lengths at Kilbeggan and Galway respectively.
He was beaten by Jeroboam Machin when most recently seen in a Leopardstown Grade 2, but that horse has been ruled out for the season and in his absence You Oughta Know arguably brings the strongest form of all to the table. -