Un De Sceaux camp excited about Hilly Way return Un De Sceaux's owners are looking forward to seeing their pride and joy compete at their local track for the first time in Sunday's Kerry Group Hilly Way Chase at Cork. Since buying him from France, the O'Connell family have travelled far and wide to watch the nine-year-old strut his stuff. In fact, out of his last nine races, only one has been in Ireland and that was on his latest appearance when caught close home by Fox Norton at the Punchestown Festival in April. He won the Tingle Creek on his reappearance last year, but this season Willie Mullins had been aiming Douvan at the Sandown prize, so Un De Sceaux has been pencilled in for Cork for some time. That suits Colm O'Connell, who owns the horse with his father Edward, down to the ground and the popular gelding will undoubtedly attract a huge crowd. O'Connell said: "The family home would be about 10 miles north of the track so the Hilly Way has always been a race close to our hearts. "We sponsored it for over a decade so to have the favourite for it is something special." Un De Sceaux is likely to be a warm order in the hands of David Mullins, but connections are taking nothing for granted. O'Connell continued: "It's no pushover. Clarcam was a Grade One horse and Ballyoisin is a real up-and-coming force. It's nearly a Grade One field. "People take these races at face value, but we are giving them all weight. " It's not easy, but it's a relief to get going. Willie's season always gets going after the Morgiana Hurdle (at Punchestown in November) and then it comes thick and fast at the end. "I'd imagine we'll probably only have one more run before Cheltenham and this might be his last run in Ireland for a while." O'Connell is confident the free-going French import has lost none of his dash, adding: " He might be turning 10 in a few weeks but he's like the Sophia Loren of horse racing - he looks better with age! He hasn't many miles on the clock really. "He's actually a May foal so he's not really 10 until May anyway. He's certainly lost none of his enthusiasm and the one worry about his first run is if he'll be too keen." Douvan was scratched from the Tingle Creek at the 48-hour stage and while Mullins considered switching Un De Sceaux to defend his Sandown crown, he left plans as they were. "He's in great order. We debated whether to change plans on Thursday after what happened with Douvan, but the way everything was so last minute I just said we'd leave it as it was," the champion trainer told At The Races. "We left plans as we indicated they would be and I think people would be happier with that." Gordon Elliott fields two against Un De Sceaux in Ball D'Arc and Clarcam. Jessica Harrington runs Woodland Opera, who was a winner at this level last time out but is rated some 17lb below Un De Sceaux and only receives 2lb. "He's really getting his act together now," said Harrington. "I'm really happy with him. It's not ideal that the ground is going to be heavy but he's at the stage now where he needs to be running in races like this. "He does stay two miles really well and with a fast pace assured, that will help him. He'll run his race and this is the right race for him." Henry de Bromhead is represented by Alisier D'Irlande, who may take on Un De Sceaux at the head of affairs. "He seems to love bowling along in front. Unfortunately most of his form is going left-handed, so we said if you're going to go right, Cork is a good place to go to, with the two long straights," said De Bromhead. Enda Bolger's Ballyoisin is still improving and got close to the high-class Disko last time out. "He's rated 157 now and there aren't many options when you get to that sort of rating," said Bolger. "He's in good form and when it cut up to a small field we decided we'd give it a go." Kerry Lee's British challenger Top Gamble is the only other runner.
