'I admire Willie Mullins and everything he does - he’s the one who gets me up in the morning and drives me on'

Leading trainer Gordon Elliott talks to deputy Ireland editor David Jennings as part of the Cheltenham Ultimate Guide which is available to buy now

Stay tuned for a deep dive into a festival team the trainer himself describes as “under the radar, but stronger than you might think”. Before we get to that, a rant. Not just any old rant either, a proper and passionate harangue about his fierce rival.

“It drives me potty that every time you pick up a paper or listen to a podcast that it’s Willie Mullins this and Willie Mullins that. People complaining about what he’s doing to the game. It’s nonsense,” says Gordon Elliott, who has finished runner-up to the Closutton colossus in the Irish trainers’ championship for the last 11 seasons in a row, soon to become 12.