Mullins to make one final push at Punchestown

AYEAR ago, Willie Mullins was sending runners to such far flung destinations as Perth in a frenzied, if ultimately fruitless, effort to make a few bob and chase down a first British trainers’ title.

As the winning post for the Irish jumps season approaches next Saturday all has changed and the hunter has suddenly become the hunted.

Mullins has been king of the Irish turf for nine successive years, 11 times in all, but finds himself on the back foot as the young pretender, Gordon Elliott, threatens to wrestle away his crown.

The final battles in a seasonlong war will be waged on rolling Punchestown terrain from Tuesday to Saturday next.

The Kildare course has become a fortress for Mullins who has held the high ground, almost without challenge, since 2006 as the Festival kingpin.

He will need to rule again, and by a convincing margin too, if he is to rein in Elliott, who holds an advantage of around €400,000 in prize-money in the race for the Irish title.

If that sounds a huge amount, some context is needed.

Punchestown offers €2.9m in booty, the bulk of which is spread across the 12 Grade One races while the major race each day carries a purse of €250,000, with a first prize of €147,000. Should Mullins pick off two or three of the biggies, which he is well capable of, the revised table could be tight heading into Saturday’s climax.

The bookies are on the side of Elliott for he has the numbers on the board and is the man to catch.

All season, he has proved elusive while he struck a psychological blow at Cheltenham where he edged out Mullins for the top trainer’s title by a nose after both men saddled six winners apiece.

Elliott’s relentless bombardment of Irish racetracks has been extraordinary.

He has sent out almost 1,200 runners, more than double that of Mullins and has won more races, 188 to 171.

In the Irish Grand National last Monday, for example, Elliott saddled a record nine runners out of 28 and three of them finished in the top six to win €125,000.

Ever since the tumult of Cheltenham died down, Mullins has been prepping his troops for a final concerted push at Punchestown, deliberately sending a light team to Aintree and Fairyhouse as he kept his powder dry for the five-day Festival that begins on Tuesday.

The Mullins Cheltenham winners, Un De Sceaux, Nichols Canyon, Arctic Fire, Let’s Dance and Penhill will be joined this week by the likes of Djakadam, Vroum Vroum Mag, Melon, and a rejuvenated Ballycasey.

As a plus, Annie Power is set to spearhead the team after a season disrupted by injury and should take all the beating in Friday’s Champion Hurdle.

Even without Faugheen, Vautour and the departure of the Gigginstown House horses, which include Apple’s Jade, it’s an elite team, who will give their all as Mullins is not the character to lie down without a fight.

Last December, when all seemed lost, Mullins swooped from the clouds at the Leopardstown Festival to plunder 22 winners in four days.

It was a reminder of his strengths when he gets on a roll and nowhere brings out the best in his team more than Punchestown.

In 2015, Mullins won a staggering 16 out of 37 races at the Festival; last year, he picked off 12, compared to Elliott’s four.

It’s his patch and Elliott knows it. Expect an intriguing battle.