'I can't believe I'm having to take on Willie Mullins' - the trainer who is locked and loaded for Easter Monday at his favourite track

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Never mind Willie Mullins, Chris Gordon is hoping to be the punters' pal at Plumpton today, with nine runners declared for an Easter Monday card which boasts £247,500 in prize-money. 

Gordon describes Plumpton as his "favourite racecourse" and, while his season was slow to get going when his horses were under a cloud of ill health, he is still in contention to take home the leading trainer award at a track that doesn't take owners and trainers for granted. 

"I love going to Plumpton and we've got a load of runners on Easter Monday," the chirpy trainer tells The Front Runner. "It's my old neck of the woods and I lived down there for years and years before moving to Winchester. 

"It's like going home for me and there's brilliant prize-money but the rain has been very localised and I'm a little worried that when I get down there it might be a little bit quick for some of my team." 

It's not hard to see why he is so enthusiastic about the independently-owned East Sussex track, which is well supported locally and punches above its weight with the calibre of horses and mix of trainers it regularly attracts.

 "Peter Savill [racecourse owner] is very proud of what Plumpton offers," says Gordon. "He puts 33 per cent of everything he gets from the course back into prize-money and has shown that it can be done.

"It's a great little track. You go down there on a Monday and it's packed. They want punters in there, whereas the problem with [racecourse group] Arena Racing Company is that they don't give a damn."  

Providing he is happy with the ground when he arrives at Plumpton, Gordon will have runners in six of the seven races today, headlined by stable favourite Aucunrisque in the £100,000 BetGoodwin Sussex Champion Chase (2.35). 

"Aucunrisque is in really good form," he says. "My son Freddie schooled him up in Lambourn the other day and he jumped like dynamite. We've got Charlie Maggs, who rode a winner for us at Cheltenham the other day, taking a very valuable 5lb off." 

Aucunrisque: stable favouriteCredit: Alan Crowhurst (Getty Images)

Gordon is keen to walk the course before committing Illegal D'Ainay and Confinentic to the £45,000 handicap for novice hurdlers (3.45), while it is not guaranteed all of Jefe Triunfo, Fortune Timmy and General Briar will run in the last race on the card (5.35). 

"I've thrown three into the bumper because it's fantastic prize-money," he says. "Jefe Triunfo will definitely run but I'll get down there and see about the ground for the other two. If it's good, safe ground, we'll have to give it a go. It's a £23,000 bumper when most of the time you go down to Chepstow and come across horses who cost £200,000 or £300,000 racing for £2,000. We're going down to Plumpton to have a go! 

"We've had a very tricky time in the yard but last week we had winners at Warwick and Cheltenham, so thank God they seem back in good form." 

Both Aucunrisque and Jefe Triunfo face rivals trained in Closutton and watching Mullins take aim at the British trainers' title makes Gordon a happy chappy that he doesn't have to take him on every day of the week in Ireland. 

"The championship is driving me mad," is his honest assessment of the repercussions of Mullins' late dash for the title in Britain. "Normally we'd potter down to Plumpton with some brilliant chances and I can't believe I'm having to take on Willie Mullins. 

"For us local trainers, this is a brilliant meeting. We've won the Sussex Champion Hurdle three times and it is a race we target, so it was pretty gutting yesterday to see four top-class Mullins horses in there. 

"It's pretty unhealthy when you've suddenly got this going on. It's not like the Flat world where Ballydoyle have been at it all season to go and win the championship. This guy has come over and almost in a month he's destroyed everyone and it's just a mass of horses. I'm very grateful that I don't train in Ireland." 

Read these next:

Willie Mullins closing in on Dan Skelton in title race as Absurde leads home one-two at Plumpton in Sussex Champion Hurdle 

Enthralling trainers' title race builds to a final-day shootout at star-studded Sandown 

It's Irish Grand National day - one of those rare occasions when David keeps getting Goliath hot under the collar 

The Front Runner is our unmissable email newsletter available exclusively to Racing Post+ subscribers. Chris Cook provides his take on the day's biggest stories and tips for the upcoming racing every morning from Monday to Friday. Not a Racing Post+ subscriber? Join today and also receive our Ultimate Daily emails plus our full range of fantastic website and newspaper content.