Cheltenham contenders on show at Punchestown

With just 23 days remaining until the start of the Cheltenham Festival most of the equine contenders have already had their final prep runs before the big event, but a handful more could book their ticket with a big performance at Punchestown on Sunday.

Willie Mullins, who is currently 1/6 favourite with bet365 to be the leading trainer at Cheltenham for the tenth time in his career, runs Supreme Novices Hurdle entry Tullyhill in the Listed Sheila Bourke Novice Hurdle at Punchestown.

Tullyhill got off the mark over hurdles at the second attempt at Naas last month with a comfortable success, but won’t get things all his own way on Sunday. He will face strong opposition from both Edward O’Grady’s No Flies On Him and Gordon Elliott’s Jigoro who both also hold Cheltenham Novices Hurdle entries.

No Flies On Him won a big field Maiden Hurdle on racecourse debut at Leopardstown over Christmas and while the form of that race hasn’t worked as well as one might have expected he cannot be underestimated.

Jigoro was beaten by Supreme Novices Hurdle second favourite Mystical Power in a Grade Two contest here last month, but that is still solid form in the contest of this race. Jigoro will be partnered by Jack Kennedy who goes into this weekend 14 winners clear of Paul Townend in the Irish Jockeys’ Championship and is quoted at 4/1 by bet365 to be leading rider at next month’s Cheltenham Festival. Townend is bet365’s 2/5 favourite in that market.

Henry de Bromhead’s wide-margin Lingstown Point-to-Point winner Majestic Force is one to keep an eye on in the Old House Kill Maiden Hurdle. This five-year-old mare holds an entry in the Mares Novices Hurdle at Cheltenham and a winning debut over flights at Punchestown on Sunday could see her Antepost odds of 33/1 with bet365 shorten considerably.

The forecast Heavy ground conditions may not be in her favour as she is out of a daughter of Presenting, but the opposition doesn’t look particularly strong, with her main danger appearing to be the only other mare in the line up, Paggane.

Paggane is yet to get her head in front in three previous runs over hurdles, but is proven on testing ground and sets a decent standard for Majestic Force to aim at.

Willie Mullins already has an abundance of riches in the Bumper category heading to Cheltenham, but Sounds Victorius could make the team sheet with a victory in the Pro-Am Bumper at Punchestown. Sounds Victorius (40/1 with bet365 for the Champion Bumper) was narrowly defeated on debut at Leopardstown over Christmas and will be looking to emulate stablemates James’s Gate and Ballyburn who landed this contest in 2022 and 2023.

Gordon Elliott has trained four of the last five winners of the Grand National Trial Handicap Chase on Sunday’s card and while he fires four darts at it this time a chance is taken on New Year’s Eve course winner Clonmeen to score for Willie Murphy.

Clonmeen is an experienced Point-to-Pointer that arrives here in top form having scored on his two most recent starts at Down Royal and Punchestown. He goes well on heavy ground and should relish this step up to three miles and three furlongs.