Vinny Okay

Willie Mullins reports Cousin Vinny to be none the worse following his fall at Leopardstown on Sunday but has still to make a decision on his likely target at the Cheltenham Festival.

Last season's Champion Bumper winner was sent off the 4-6 favourite for the Deloitte Novice Hurdle and after seemingly having the race at his mercy running down to the final flight, he knuckled on landing and parted company with Mullins' son Patrick.

While Mullins is still not making any firm plans on Cousin Vinny's Festival aim, he was surprised by the amount of speed the horse showed prior to his final-flight mishap.

"It was quite an unlucky fall really but I had asked Patrick to really ask him going down over the last two hurdles as he has been racing around on very soft ground going a handy enough pace," said Mullins.

"With Cheltenham in mind I wanted him to wing the last two flights at top speed thinking that if something was going to happen, it would happen there rather than at Cheltenham. Unfortunately it did and that's sport I suppose.

"He was a bit keen at the first hurdle and Patrick said he stood way back at it but after that he jumped fantastic and I think he was just going so well at the last and he has probably never jumped at that speed.

"He's fine this morning anyway so that's the main thing."

"Sunday's race was over two and a quarter miles but he certainly showed lots of gears, more than I even thought he had going into the race," the trainer continued.

"The Supreme Novices' will certainly be a race I will look at for him now but I've got Hurricane Fly and Kempes who could run in that so thankfully for me, I have got a few options.

"I'm not going to say I'm leaning one way or the other and if you look at last year we changed our minds with Fiveforthree at the 11th hour and went for the Ballymore, so we're not making a decision yet.

"Cousin Vinny certainly has enough speed to think about the Supreme anyway."