LIMINI GETS THE GREEN LIGHT
WILLIE MULLINS will “take a punt” and run Limini in the Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham.
“I had a quick chat with Rich [Ricci, her owner],” said Mullins at his Co Carlow stables yesterday. “I think if she’s fine and sparkling we will take a punt with her.” Mullins had hoped Annie Power would be able to add to her success in last year’s Champion Hurdle but injury has ruled her out of the race, as it has Faugheen, winner of the 2015 Champion Hurdle. “I went to Punchestown with Limini thinking ‘am I mad going there’,” said Mullins. “Last year I ran Annie Power in that race and it worked out, but this year I was thinking three weeks from Cheltenham and if Limini has a hard race it’s not good. “I did not think Limini would win without a slap but she did, and she did not have a hard race so that’s where she is.”
Limini is 9-2 third favourite behind 3-1 market leader Buveur D’Air for the Champion Hurdle with Paddy Power.
Comparisons with Annie Power are wide of the mark, according to Mullins, but he has a high opinion of the mare who won the Trull House Stud Mares’ Hurdle at the Festival last year.
Right
“She has a long way to go before she is an Annie Power but she is going the right way. Wicklow Brave will also go for the race.”
Mullins hopes he can match his late father’s achievement of winning a Cheltenham Gold Cup.
Paddy Mullins took the prize with Dawn Run in 1986, but his son has endured a frustrating run of seconds.
“We’ve been runner-up in the race six times,” said Mullins.
“It would be be nice to win the race and it would have to be one of my ambitions. We hope Djakadam can do it for us this year. He’s in great form. Fingers crossed he stays right and he’s not had a setback this season unlike last year when he got that nasty cut before he ran at Cheltenham.
“We have kept him fresh. I missed the Irish Gold Cup as it was too close to Cheltenham.”
Placed twice in the last two Gold Cups, Mullins believes this could be Djakadam’s year.
“He’s more mature,” said Mullins. “In his first Gold Cup he was young and last year he had a bad prep. Everything is going right.
“I don’t know if he would need to improve to win a Gold Cup but I think he’s a better horse this year.
“We just need the ball bouncing in our favour a bit more. It could happen. I hope it will.”
Douvan, unbeaten in all his 13 races for Mullins, is on target for the Queen Mother Champion Chase
“He’s in good order,” said Mullins. “He’s got to win a Champion Chase to be the horse he might be.
“I’ve said that he’s the best I’ve ever had. But he’s got to go past Hurricane Fly [winner of a record 16 Grade One races] and the bar is high for him.”
Yorkhill goes for the JLT Novices’ Chase, despite misleadingly being in several bookies’ lists for the Champion Hurdle.
Mullins is already talking about the Champion Hurdle for Melon who won with a ton in hand on his only outing over hurdles. He looks the banker in the opening Supreme Novices’ Hurdle.
The trainer rates Carter McKay his best chance of winning the Champion Bumper.