With the Cheltenham Festival now just a fortnight away, Willie Mullins talks through some of his formidable team for the showpiece meeting.

Sempre Medici justified short-priced favouritism to win the Red Mills Trial Hurdle at Gowran Park on Saturday.

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.

A potentially eventful morning as I’m due to be in Naas but, should that fall to the frost, I could be heading for Warwick, provided, of course, Willie Mullins wants me to do that.

Today’s card at Fairyhouse doesn’t look the easiest for punters to get the new year off to a positive start, but Sambremont showed more last time than in previous efforts over fences and hurdles in this country, and can take the beginners’ chase for Willie Mullins and Ruby Walsh.

Champion Hurdle runner-up Arctic Fire is the headline name that remains in Sunday’s Bar One Racing Hatton’s Grace Hurdle.

In My Pocket can take the closing race for the in-form stable of John Oxx. The three-year-old colt made his debut at Navan back in April, and stayed on well to beat Cenotaph by more than two lengths. He wasn’t seen again until last month at Cork, where he reappeared to contest a listed race.

Old reliables Willie Mullins and Dermot Weld provided punters with the only winning favourites on day three of the Galway Festival and the afternoon had begun just the way the two previous evenings had — Mullins getting off the mark with a winning hurdler.

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.

Stuccodor gets the nap selection to get punters off on the right foot by taking the opening maiden hurdle on Galway Plate Day in Ballybrit.

Anthem Alexander must be strongly fancied to make a successful seasonal debut in the Group 3 Racing Post Lacken Stakes in Naas, unless the expected rain causes a serious deterioration in ground conditions.

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.