'Facile Vega could easily step up in trip but I don't need to' - Mullins on festival aim

Unbeaten superstar novice Facile Vega has done nothing but impress Willie Mullins since his latest run and the master trainer has stressed the plan is very much to send him out to bat first for his all-star team at Cheltenham. 

Mullins has won the Sky Bet Supreme Novices' Hurdle a record seven times and Facile Vega is 4-5 with the sponsors to extend that to eight after 67 entries were revealed for the festival opener on Tuesday. 

In his Racing Post stable tour in November, Mullins said he was "looking forward to Facile Vega more than any other horse in years" and nothing that has happened since has changed his opinion. The six-year-old has been given a Ballymore entry but at this stage all roads lead to the Supreme after he extended his winning sequence to six at Leopardstown over Christmas.