Douvan leads the charge for Mullins

WILLIE MULLINS will wheel out the big guns at this week’s Punchestown Festival in a bid to deny Gordon Elliott his first title as champion jump trainer in Ireland. Mullins runs Douvan, Min, Un De Sceaux and Ballycasey in tomorrow’s £240,000 Grade One Boylesport Champion Chase hoping to eat into Elliott’s £450,000 title-race lead. Elliott also runs four in the race, headed by Doctor Phoenix. Last season Mullins won more than £790,000 at the Punchestown meeting to win his 11th Irish trainer’s title ahead of Elliott. But Elliott holds a lead which is £88,000 bigger this time. The pair are set to trade heavyweight punches all week. There are 31 runners in the three Grade One races tomorrow and Elliott and Mullins are responsible for 23 of them.