One trainer, one jockey, one horse and one race to watch on Saturday

Trainer

Willie Mullins boasted a 28 per cent strike-rate (19-68) in the past fortnight prior to Friday’s racing and saddles five of the six runners in the Savills New Year’s Day Chase at Tramore, most notably dual Gold Cup hero Al Boum Photo (2.20).

The ten-year-old bids for a fourth straight victory in the race on his return and is a general 14-1 chance to regain his Cheltenham crown in March. His only rival outside of Closutton is the Gordon Elliott-trained Hardline, who needs to bounce back from a below-par run at Clonmel.

Mullins is also well represented at Fairyhouse, where Elimay (2.40) takes on Put The Kettle On in the Grade 3 Mares’ Chase and the unbeaten Jungle Boogie (3.15) makes his debut over fences.

Jockey

Brian Hughes continues to lead his weighing room colleagues a merry dance in the championship and has been in fantastic form in the past week, riding ten winners from 26 rides since Sunday.

Only seven of those mounts failed to finish in the first three and Hughes has a strong book of six rides at Musselburgh, where ITV are televising three races.

Fiveandtwenty: one of six rides for Brian Hughes at MusselburghCredit: John Grossick (racingpost.com/photos)

Hughes partners course-and-distance winners Gaelik Coast (2.50) and Fiveandtwenty (2.10), who has her first start since wind surgery, in the feature races, but his best chance might be the progressive Geromino (1.40) in the 2m4f handicap hurdle.

Horse

Brewin’upastorm bids to back up a career-best performance at Aintree when contesting the Dornan Engineering Relkeel Hurdle at Cheltenham (3.10).

The Olly Murphy-trained nine-year-old trounced If The Cap Fits by nine lengths on his return, posting a peak Racing Post Rating of 162, comfortably the best figure recorded in that Class 2 event in recent years.

His rivals include last season’s winner McFabulous, when the race was rescheduled at Kempton in January, and Guard Your Dreams, who is becoming a course specialist with two victories at the track already this campaign.

Race

My Way De Solzen, Barton and Lostintranslation feature on the honour roll of the Dipper Novices’ Chase at Cheltenham, now run as the Paddy Power Novices’ Chase, and there is a competitive nine-runner heat (1.25) on Saturday.

The Alex Hales-trained Millers Bank is the one to beat on ratings and he was in front when exiting the Berkshire Novices’ Chase at Newbury last time.

Millers Bank: tops the Dipper Novices' Chase field on official ratingsCredit: Edward Whitaker

His chief threats include L’Homme Presse, a winner of a handicap chase and graduation chase in two starts this term, and smart mare The Glancing Queen, who has struck in Listed novice chases against her own sex at Bangor and Warwick.

Read more . . .

Cheltenham set for 30,000-strong New Year's Day crowd

Dual Gold Cup hero Al Boum Photo bids for fourth New Year's Day win at Tramore

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