Mullins cautious on Mikael Willie Mullins does not want to look beyond Sunday's Dr PJ Moriarty Novice Chase at Leopardstown for the well-regarded Mikael D'Haguenet. The seven-year-old's career over fences, delayed by over a year due to injury, has not gone to plan after falling at the last when sure to go close on his belated comeback at Fairyhouse, and disappointed when odds-on for his next start at Leopardstown. "I'm certainly hoping he'll run better than he did at Christmas and I was happy with his last bit of work," said the trainer "I'm only hoping he might be coming back to what he showed us earlier in the season and as a hurdler, so we'll see." While many already have one eye on the Cheltenham Festival, Mullins is keen not to get too far ahead of himself with Mikael D'Haguenet, who holds entries in the Arkle Trophy and the RSA Chase. He went on: "I suppose it is our version of Champions Day in the jumps world on Sunday. I'm going to Leopardstown to try and win the races. There are four Grades Ones and I'm trying to focus on the meeting on its own, not as a trial for Cheltenham. "With Mikael, all we are thinking of at the moment is trying to win the race on Sunday. We've done a lot of preparation to try and have him right for this weekend. "He didn't jump great the last day and he was a bit stiff round Leopardstown when he schooled there last year, but Paul (Townend) schooled him over nine fences the other day and was thrilled with him." One of Mikael D'Haguenet's major rivals is the Dessie Hughes-trained Magnanimity, who got the better of the well-regarded Jessies Dream on his latest start. Big-race jockey Davy Russell said: "We were very happy with him the last day, but it was a very messy race and it could be a different story on Sunday. Mikael D'Haguenet would no doubt be hard to beat if he come back to his best, but Dessie is happy with his horse."
