Superstar Pad ready to launch

FOOTPAD, unbeaten in five starts over fences, should make a successful return to action in today’s Grade 3 Poplar Square Chase in Naas. Willie Mullins has opted to start the six-year-old’s campaign here, rather than target the Grade 2 Fortria in Navan tomorrow. And, although he won’t be a betting proposition, at very restricted odds, his performance promises to be the highlight of the Saturday action. A dual-winner at Grade 1 level as a juvenile hurdler, Footpad made his chasing debut a year ago, when bolting-up at Navan. And he progressed to win four Grade 1 novice events throughout the season, starting with a defeat of Any Second Now (runs in the beginners today) in the Racing Post Novice Chase at Leopardstown over Christmas. Footpad then won the Irish Arkle at Leopardstown in February before slamming Brain Power by 14 lengths in the Arkle at Cheltenham, when he recovered from an early, and rare, mistake to triumph impressively in a race run at a break-neck pace, due to the pace forcing exploits of his chief rival today Saint Calvados and Petit Mouchoir. And he rounded-off his season with a 12-length defeat of Optimus Prime at Aintree, completing a flawless campaign. Throughout last season, Footpad looked every inch a future two-mile champion chaser, although Mullins has hinted he could develop into a Gold Cup contender. Whatever road he follows over the coming months, Footpad is impossible to oppose today and will probably be followed home by British raider Saint Calvados, a Grade 2 winner at Warwick and better than his bare form of his Arkle run at Cheltenham.

NAAS HIGHLIGHT Willie Mullins trained Footpad