The Willie Mullins assault on the Punchestown Festival is well underway but there have been some surprise results this week despite Willie having several winners, notably Irancy (18/1) taking the Champion Novice Hurdle, Champ Kiely (22/1) causing a shock in the Champion Novice Chase and Wonderful Everyday (16/1) landing the Goffs Defender Bumper.

Kopek Des Bordes (30/100), Ballyburn (11/8), Leader Des Bordes (2/1) and Fact To File (11/10) are all favourites who have flopped for the yard this week, but Majborough should be well up to turning the tide in the Grade 1 Novice Chase over 2m on Thursday.

Majborough is special now but is still one for the future

It can be easy to forget the fact Majborough is still only a five-year-old, which is very young even for a novice chaser, and to already have two Grade 1 victories to his name is some feat in itself.

The French import burst onto the scene last season when easily winning the Triumph Hurdle at Cheltenham on his second start for Mullins, and it was a surprise to many that he was sent chasing immediately after that given his age.

Nonetheless, Majborough bolted up on his chase debut at Fairyhouse in December when seeing off Tullyhill and Asian Master, before winning the Grade 1 Irish Arkle at the Dublin Racing Festival by nine lengths in February.

So, what went wrong in the Arkle at Cheltenham?

If Majborough does have a flaw in his armour, it's his jumping. As we have seen from his stablemate El Fabiolo of late, if jumping is a problem it is going to hurt you in the long run, and this boy's jumping certainly does have to improve.

He got away with some novicey jumps in the Irish Arkle, but the stiffer fences at Cheltenham caught him out and he made some shuddering errors in the latter part of that race, particularly the second-last when a shocker of a jump cost him all momentum.

Nonetheless, and again despite a poor jump at the last, Majborough still battled back well and was only beaten three quarters of a length into third. If he jumped even half well, he would have won that race comfortably.

Compensation awaits at Punchestown

Majborough needs to bounce back with a solid round of jumping in the Grade 1 Novice Chase over 2m on Thursday and if he does, he will win. He will have stern opposition in the form of Only By Night, though, who finished ahead of him at Cheltenham.

Gavin Cromwell's mare was given a very clever ride in the Arkle, popping away in rear and out of trouble and came home with a late rattle. She looked a certainty on the run-in only for Jango Baie to fly up the hill and nab her late on.

She has plenty to find with Majborough, though, especially if the Mullins runner is anywhere close to his best.