Billy’s Hope can make up for her recent narrow defeat at Leopardstown by taking the Kilsheelan Mares’ Maiden Hurdle this afternoon at Clonmel.

The highlight of the weekend’s action in Ireland is the Grade 2 Boylesports Tied Cottage Chase which takes place tomorrow afternoon at Punchestown, and Felix Yonger looks likely to justify odds-on favouritism for Ruby Walsh and Willie Mullins.

Racing at home is in Fairyhouse, but I’m off to Cheltenham this afternoon to ride Djakadam in his final racecourse outing before returning to Cheltenham for the Gold Cup.

Un De Sceaux could bid to get back on track in the Sodexo Clarence House Chase at Ascot on Saturday following the confirmation stage.

Irish challengers Don Cossack and Vautour are among the star names among the 10 horses left in the William Hill King George VI Chase at Kempton on Saturday.

Narrow winner of the race in Cork last year, the Willie Mullins-trained Felix Yonger gained his second Kerry Group Hilly Way Chase success when the rescheduled Grade 2 event proved the feature of yesterday’s eight-race card in Navan.

Deciding between riding at Tramore and Cheltenham this afternoon was pretty straight-forward.

Hidden Cyclone is set for a swift return to action in the rescheduled Kerry Group Hilly Way Chase at Cork on Sunday.

Full horse boxes have been arriving back at Willie Mullins’ yards in recent days and weeks, and so we’re getting ready for a very busy but equally exciting spell.

The Monday morning after Aintree, a couple of weeks before the Punchestown festival, I spoke to Ruby Walsh.

Willie Mullins enjoyed a clean sweep of the Grade 1 events on the opening day of the Punchestown Festival, but some second-string representatives were called upon to help deliver the treble in front of a record opening-day crowd of 20,214.

Things didn’t all go to plan yesterday but you won’t complain with two winners nonetheless. I picked the wrong one big time in the Champion Chase and my hope that Champagne Fever might reproduce his best form proved unfounded. It was 50-50 with Felix Yonger and it didn’t surprise me that he stuck it out so well in the end.

Punchestown is one of the most important weeks of the year and just like Cheltenham, it starts for me with Douvan (4.20). He seems in really good form and is coming off a brilliant performance in winning the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle.

The Punchestown Festival kicks off with the Fr Sean Breen Memorial Chase and Wish Ye Didnt gets the nap to set punters off on the right foot.

The Tim Doyle-trained Mallowney should continue on his winning ways in the Grade 1 Normans Grove Chase in Fairyhouse today.

Felix Yonger might upstage triple Grade 1 winner Flemenstar on his return to action in today’s Grade 2 Webster Cup in Navan.

The flat season gets under way tomorrow and there will be plenty focus on the public gallops that many of the Ballydoyle hopefuls will be doing after racing at the Curragh.

Flemenstar will make his long-awaited return in Saturday’s Webster Cup at Navan.

Ruby’s Best Bets

Felix Yonger should successfully revert to hurdling in the Ballsbridge Hurdle in Leopardstown today.

Ladbrokes World Hurdle hero More Of That will undergo a wind operation following his disappointing return to action at Newbury last month.

Felix Yonger got up right on the line to deny Mallowney in the feature Kerry Group Hilly Way Chase as he headlined a treble for trainer Willie Mullins at Cork yesterday.

Last year’s winner Twinlight is joined by stable companion Felix Yonger as Willie Mullins aims to continue his stranglehold on the Kerry Group Hilly Way Chase at Cork tomorrow.

Jim Culloty is looking forward to getting his Cheltenham Gold Cup winner Lord Windermere back on the course in the John Durkan Memorial Chase at Punchestown on Sunday.

The enforced absence of Sprinter Sacre and Sire De Grugy has resulted in a mass entry of 18 for the 888sport Tingle Creek Chase at Sandown on Saturday.

Ruby Walsh thinks Djakadam has a “favourite’s chance” of creating history by becoming the first five-year-old to win the Hennessy Gold Cup at Newbury.

Henry de Bromhead admitted: "You dream of days like this," after chasing debutant Sizing Granite beat odds-on favourite Lieutenant Colonel in the Weatherbys Ireland GSB Beginners Chase in Naas to complete the trainer’s first treble.

It’s great to be back again. I’ve been riding out since before Listowel but wasn’t fit enough to ride then. I got the all clear 10 days ago and have had three rides since then, which, thankfully, all won.

Ireland’s champion trainer Willie Mullins saddles two runners for the Ryanair Novice Chase at Punchestown on Thursday.

It’s all systems go for the start of Punchestown today and I will arrive in a positive frame of mind, after making a successful comeback aboard Un de Sceaux at Auteuil on Saturday.

I was absolutely kicking myself after Annie Power had got beaten by More Of That in the World Hurdle at Cheltenham yesterday.

Any day you have a winner at Cheltenham is a good day and I was more than happy with Faugheen’s victory in the first.

Annie Power versus Big Buck’s promises one of the great battles of the week in the Ladbrokes’ World Hurdle at Cheltenham this afternoon.

Connections of Oscar Whisky are convinced his Cheltenham nous could be a defining factor in the JLT Novices’ Chase on Thursday.

Willie Mullins has left Un De Sceaux in the Stan James Champion Hurdle alongside Hurricane Fly.

Willie Mullins reported a clean bill of health for all his Cheltenham runners at a media day yesterday although, as expected, there was no great light shed on potential targets for many of his prospects that have a number of potential engagements at present.