Mullins happy Fly has finally made Champion

Hurricane Fly bids to lay a ghost to rest after finally making an elusive first trip to Cheltenham to contest Tuesday's Stan James Champion Hurdle.

The French import has always been held in the highest regard by champion trainer Willie Mullins, but injury has scuppered his participation at the last two Festivals.

This season, however, has seemingly gone entirely to plan, with the seven-year-old completing a hat-trick of victories over Solwhit in the Irish Champion Hurdle at Leopardstown in January.

Mullins has refused to get ahead of himself all season so not to tempt fate, and even now remains cautiously optimistic rather than confident that his charge can prevail.

The County Carlow handler does not expect the track or the ground to pose a problem after assessing conditions on Monday morning and is now keeping his fingers crossed all goes to plan.

"Everything seems fine with him since he travelled over and he seems in good form," said Mullins.

"I walked the track this morning and I don't think ground will be a problem for him.

"I'm not confident, my focus all season has been to get him there."

Paul Townend has guided Hurricane Fly to each of his three victories this season but Ruby Walsh is back in the saddle having returned from injury.

"Obviously we had a decision to make regarding the jockey, but it's very difficult to leave the leading jockey around Cheltenham off," Walsh continued.

"Most of our Cheltenham winners never ran there before and I don't think it's a huge problem.

"It would have been nice to have done it, but it just didn't lend itself as we had other things to do here.

"He's won three times round Leopardstown and that's a great guide if you're going to Cheltenham."

Another statistic that Hurricane Fly has against him is the fact that no son of leading sire Montjeu has ever won at Cheltenham, but Mullins is not overly concerned.

The County Carlow handler added: "The Montjeu statistic is a worry but you can look at it the other way as if so many Montjeu horses have run at Cheltenham and haven't won, the chances are a winner is coming soon!

"It's certainly something you take on board but he has never shown any reason he wouldn't handle Cheltenham or come up the hill.

"Every time he's had a hill to travel up he's travelled up it very easily."

Another criticism levelled at the great Irish hope is that he has been beating the same horses this season, but Mullins believes Solwhit has been underestimated.

"I think Solwhit is a very good horse and you can't help what horses are in the races. Solwhit would be a fair machine to have in any yard," the trainer continued.

"I know he disappointed in the Champion Hurdle last year, but we know he's a Grade One horse."

Mullins also saddles Thousand Stars in the Champion Hurdle, not beaten far into third in the Irish equivalent.

"Thousand Stars has had two nice prep runs and if he travels up the hill this year the way he did last year' hopefully he'll get into the money," Mullins concluded.

"He made the running last time, but I'd imagine we'll adopt different tactics tomorrow."