CHELTENHAM FESTIVAL DAY 1 TIPS

Willie Mullins has gone a couple of years without success in this race, having won five in nine years before that, but he has a powerful trio at the top of the betting in Ballyburn, Mystical Power and Tullyhill. Much will depend on whether Ballyburn, deeply impressive in a Grade 1 at the Dublin Racing Festival last time, runs here or steps up in trip to the Baring Bingham. He’ll be seen as a banker by many wherever he goes. Mystical Power and Tullyhill would be able deputies or second strings depending on how Mullins plays his hand. Gordon Elliott has Firefox, who became the only horse to beat Ballyburn when they met on their hurdling debuts in December, and Nicky Henderson looks to have the leading British contender in Jeriko Du Reponet, who like Mystical Power runs in the JP McManus colours.

Until the Dublin Racing Festival, this race looked to have a standout candidate in Barry Connell’s Marine Nationale, last year’s Supreme Novices’ Hurdle winner who had raised the excitement level for his chasing career with an impressive debut success over Christmas. The Irish Arkle threw a spanner in the works, however, as Marine Nationale trailed in fifth while the Willie Mullins-trained Il Etait Temps just got the better of Gordon Elliott’s Found A Fifty in a close finish. Horses can bounce back but the trends show it doesn’t happen often in the Arkle and Marine Nationale’s flat effort at Leopardstown has opened up this race. Il Etait Temps has put himself firmly in the reckoning but doesn’t have much in hand from the Irish Arkle and has to prove he can perform at Cheltenham after a couple of unplaced runs at the festival. There will be interest in others from the Mullins squad, principally the relatively inexperienced but highly promising Hunters Yarn and Irish Arkle third Facile Vega, and Ireland’s challenge could also feature Quilixios (Henry de Bromhead) and My Mate Mozzie (Gavin Cromwell). The leading British contender is last-time-out Grade 2 winner JPR One, whose trainer Joe Tizzard has a decent shot at a festival breakthrough in his second year after taking over the family stable from father Colin.

This prized 3m1f handicap chase has an illustrious roll of honour and last year Corach Rambler became the latest winner to go on to Grand National glory, joining the likes of West Tip, Seagram and Rough Quest. Corach Rambler made it back-to-back wins for Lucinda Russell as 6-1 joint-favourite, edging out Fastorslow by a neck. The only others to achieve the feat were Sentina (1957 & 1958), Scot Lane (1982 & 1983) and Un Temps Pour Tout (2016 & 2017). With his second victory, Corach Rambler continued the long-established trend of second-season chasers doing well. This is one of the better opportunities for a trainer outside the big five to get on the scoreboard and among the leading fancies from Britain are Chianti Classico (Kim Bailey), Monbeg Genius (Jonjo O’Neill) and Theatre Man (Richard Bandey), while Irish possibles include Stumptown (Gavin Cromwell). Lurking dangerously, though, are Meetingofthewaters for Willie Mullins and Gordon Elliott’s The Goffer, who was fourth last year.

Constitution Hill was poised for greatness after a brilliant first season that culminated with his 22-length triumph in the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle and he duly took his place in the hurdling pantheon with a second unbeaten campaign that peaked with his nine-length victory over State Man in last year’s Champion Hurdle. Nicky Henderson’s superstar has stretched his 100 per cent record to eight races, first wrapping up last season with victory over 2m4f in the Aintree Hurdle and then opening his latest campaign with another easy win in the Christmas Hurdle at Kempton. Both of those performances were below par on Racing Post Ratings but there is nothing to really test him in Britain and Willie Mullins’ State Man remains his only serious opponent. Unfortunate to be born in the same year as Constitution Hill, State Man would have been a high-calibre divisional leader without him and has an outstanding record in his own right, having completed the same pre-Cheltenham winning sequence for the past two seasons in the Morgiana, Matheson and Irish Champion Hurdles. Whether anything will change at Cheltenham is the ultimate issue for him, however. Last year’s Champion Hurdle win took Constitution Hill to an RPR of 177 (which puts him 7lb ahead of State Man) and within touching distance of Istabraq’s top mark of 181. Many will be hoping he can go even higher this year.

Willie Mullins once had a vice-like grip on this race with six-time winner Quevega and her successors, but it has been loosened in recent years with just one victory for his Closutton stable in the past seven runnings. Normal service looks set to be resumed this time, however, if hot favourite Lossiemouth lines up here as expected. Last year’s impressive Triumph Hurdle winner returned to action after nine months off with a decisive victory by almost ten lengths over Love Envoi in the 2m1f International Hurdle on Cheltenham’s Trials day and the only serious question still to answer is how she will handle a step up in trip. Mullins has other leading contenders in Gala Marceau (runner-up to Lossiemouth in the Triumph) and the older Ashroe Diamond and Echoes In Rain (albeit the latter has been fifth and fourth in her two previous attempts). Britain’s main hopes are two mares who have run well in this race before. Marie’s Rock won for Nicky Henderson in 2022 (but was a disappointing seventh as joint favourite last year) and Harry Fry’s Love Envoi was runner-up to Honeysuckle 12 months ago, having won the Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle at the festival the year before.

First run in 2005, this is a fiercely competitive and often wide-open handicap hurdle for four-year-olds only. LAST YEAR’S WINNER Jazzy Matty scored at 18-1, becoming the third winner in the past six runnings for Gordon Elliott and the sixth in a row for Ireland (fifth was the best Britain could manage last year). He was the seventh French-bred to win in 19 runnings (a French-bred has finished first or second in all but one of the last ten). Irish trainers dominate the ante-post betting with Lark In The Mornin for Joseph O’Brien, Willie Mullins’ Batman Girac and Ethical Diamond, and the Gordon Elliott-trained Wodhooh, Ndaawi and Mighty Bandit. The last home winner was in 2017 but there are decent hopes of another with Jane Williams’ Excelero and the Olly Murphy-trained Roaring Legend.

Gaillard Du Mesnil justified favouritism at 10-11 for Willie Mullins, although the result might have been different if clear leader Mahler Mission hadn’t fallen two out. The recent rise in quality is reflected in the ratings. Last year Gaillard Du Mesnil was clear top on the official figures on 155 and runner-up Chemical Energy was next on 147. Willie Mullins will have a major impact on the market here once he decides on running plans. Embassy Gardens will have strong claims if this is his chosen target. Another leading Irish novice who is shortest in the betting here is Corbetts Cross (Emmet Mullins).