Willie Mullins: Klassical Dream as good as some of our Champion Hurdle winners

Willie Mullins has won the Champion Hurdle four times in the last nine years and Ireland's champion trainer thinks Klassical Dream has the potential to win a fifth in 2020 – although he warned not to forget Saldier, who has caught his eye since returning from the summer break.

The tragic death of this year's Champion Hurdle winner Espoir D'Allen last week has led to Klassical Dream being installed a general 7-2 chance for the Cheltenham crown and Mullins reports last season's Supreme Novices' Hurdle winner to have summered well.

Mullins said: "Klassical Dream has done well over the last few months and he looks very well. He didn't do anything wrong last season and you would like to think he looks as good as some of our past champion hurdlers."

Klassical Dream: landed three Grade 1 prizes last seasonCredit: Edward Whitaker

Mullins' previous three Supreme winners Champagne Fever (2013), Vautour (2014) and Douvan (2015) were all sent straight over fences, but he has decided to keep Klassical Dream over the smaller obstacles.

He could start his season in the Unibet Morgiana Hurdle at Punchestown on November 19 – a race the trainer has won eight years in a row – while other comeback options include the WKD Hurdle at Down Royal or the Hatton's Grace Hurdle at Fairyhouse.

The trainer added: "He could start off in the Morgiana, but the race at Down Royal is definitely an option too and there is the Hatton's Grace at Fairyhouse as well. I don't like to pin mine down to one specific target this early, so we'll keep our options open."

Saldier, as big as 33-1 with some firms for the 2020 Champion Hurdle, has not been seen since crashing out at the last when upsides Espoir D'Allen in a Grade 3 hurdle at Naas last November, but he has caught the eye of those at Closutton.

Willie Mullins in the Champion Hurdle (2009-2019)

2009 Ebaziyan (20th)
2010 No runner
2011 HURRICANE FLY (WON), Thousand Stars (fourth)
2012 Hurricane Fly (third), Zaidpour (eighth)
2013 HURRICANE FLY (WON)
2014 Hurricane Fly (fourth)
2015 FAUGHEEN (WON), Arctic Fire (second), Hurricane Fly (third)
2016 ANNIE POWER (WON), Nichols Canyon (third), Sempre Medici (pulled up)
2017 Footpad (fourth), Wicklow Brave (seventh)
2018 Melon (second), Faugheen (sixth), Yorkhill (pulled up)
2019 Melon (second), Laurina (fourth), Sharjah (brought down)

"I know Saldier hasn't run in a while, but nobody has forgotten about him around here, that's for sure," said Mullins. "It's funny, it was only this morning that I commented to someone just how well he looked and how strong he had become. He looks great."

Melon, who has been second in the last two Champion Hurdles, is unlikely to try to make it third time lucky as Mullins is set to send him novice chasing this season.

"Melon will definitely go over fences and we think he'll be well suited to that discipline," he said.

Douvan is reported to be well on the road to recovery from a lesion on a tendon at the back of his pastern, while Punchestown Gold Cup hero Kemboy has been put on a weight loss programme after parading at Tramore recently.

King of the chasers: Kemboy (Ruby Walsh) is clear of Al Boum Photo at the last in the Punchestown Gold CupCredit: Caroline Norris

Mullins said: "Douvan is fine. I didn't give him as long of a break as the others and kept him in work all summer. He seems good and we'll wait until the rain comes later in the season before deciding on a plan for him.

"Kemboy is great and back in work. He paraded at Tramore recently and he was as big as a house, so we'll have to work on that."

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