Willie Mullins hasn’t ruled out the possibility of running last week’s Arkle winner Gaelic Warrior at Fairyhouse at the end of the month.
An impressive winner of the Arkle Novices' Chase over two miles at the Cheltenham Festival last week, Willie Mullins' enigmatic but highly talented could be set for a quick reappearance in the WillowWarm Gold Cup at Fairyhouse on March 31.
Mullins, who ran Gold Cup hero Galopin Des Champs at both meetings as a novice chaser, earmarked Gaelic Warrior as being a potential candidate in a bid to give Mullins a sixth consecutive success in the Grade 1 two-and-a-half-mile prize.
"We did it two years ago, we brought a horse back from Cheltenham to win this, so it can be done. I'll see how Gaelic Warrior is," said Mullins.
"He has a huge amount of ability. He won the three-mile novice hurdle at Punchestown that Galopin Des Champs won so I was never worried about his stamina, but the fact he can do this over a shorter trip is fantastic, it shows he has class.
"Ted Walsh always said a good Gold Cup winner could win a Champion Chase, as that is how you separate the ordinary Gold Cup winners from the very good ones, and this fellow has that type of ability, I think."
If Gaelic Warrior was not ready to make the sharp nineteen-day turnaround from Prestbury Park, Mullins suggested Blood Destiny could be the one to line up for the master of Closutton.
"I'm looking at Blood Destiny, he's one that could go there. This race has been on my mind a while for him. We'd been trying him at two miles but a different way of riding him – we held him up in Navan – might suit for this race, I think," he said.
"He has the speed when you need it so if Gaelic Warrior doesn't come back for it, Blood Destiny could be a good substitute."
