Willie Mullins will be hoping to get off to the best possible start at the Cheltenham Festival as Tullyhill heads his six-strong Supreme Novices’ Hurdle team.
The Closutton-based maestro will be for a recording-extending eighth success in the Festival curtain-raiser, having saddled the likes of Champagne Fever, Vautour, Douvan, Klassical Dream and Appreciate It to victory in recent years.
The six-strong team this season looks to be headed by Tullyhill, who currently tops the market at a 3/1 with Paddy Power, following his impressive success in Listed company at Punchestown.
"I'm very happy with how all the team have travelled and arrived here, they're all in good order," said Mullins, who chases a staggering one hundred Festival winners this week.
"Tullyhill disappointed with his jumping on his first run, but we got that sorted out and now he's showing his true colours.
Close behind the Cheveley Park-owned contender in the market sits the supremely well-bred Mystical Power. The son of Galileo out of former Champion Hurdle heroine Annie Power made it three from three when a smart winner of the Grade 2 Moscow Flyer Novice Hurdle at Punchestown by seven lengths and whilst his pedigree certainly points to greatness, Mullins was quick to admit his homework wouldn't give the same impression.
"Mystical Power has surprised us," he said. "His pedigree is starting to come out. At home, he doesn't show that sort of form, but when he gets to the racetrack, he's a different beast.
"I just thought after what he's shown us on the track, it was an easy decision to go for the two-mile race."
Should the master of Closutton fail to land the Festival opener, it could still fall the way of Ireland with the likes of Firefox and Slade Steel both boasting quality form credentials heading into the Grade 1 novice hurdle.
The former, trained by Gordon Elliott, looked like a high-class prospect when beating red-hot Gallagher Novices' Hurdle favourite Ballyburn on his hurdling debut at Fairyhouse before running below expectations in Grade 1 company over two and a half miles at Naas recently.
However, Elliott is confident there was reasoning behind the effort and is expecting a bold showing back over two miles.
Elliott said: "I think the trip will suit him, he looks in good form and we're very happy with him.
"He was obviously disappointing the last day, but you can put a line through that – he didn't scope right and was lame after the race. He's in good form now and we're looking forward to running him."
Last-time-out Grade 2 winner Slade Steel has already had a taste of top-level company and his trainer Henry de Bromhead is happy to avoid last month's Leopardstown conqueror Ballyburn by dropping back to the minimum trip.
"He's done little wrong, we're happy with him and he seems in good form," said Henry de Bromhead.
"He seems pretty adaptable (trip-wise) and I suppose Ballyburn has beaten us a couple of times, so we said we'd take that view (of avoiding another clash) and that's what we're doing."
The Nicky Henderson-trained Jeriko Du Reponet could prove the one to ensure this opening contest remains on home soil, with the JP McManus-owned five-year-old creating a favourable impression at Newbury before getting the better of subsequent Dovecote scorer Lump Sum in the rearranged Rossington Main Novices' Hurdle at Doncaster.
Speaking on his Unibet blog, Henderson said: "He is unbeaten and ever since he arrived at Seven Barrows, this race was always where we wanted to end up.
"While he may not have looked visually impressive at Doncaster last time, the race wasn't run to suit, but has subsequently worked out very well – and there is likely to be much more pace on here, which will play to his strengths.
"Obviously, the Irish squad will be very hard to beat, but I rather fear Jeriko may be the slightly forgotten horse and I'm very much looking forward to it."
