Mullins squad reigns Supreme
Cousin Vinny claimed the Champion Bumper at last year’s meeting and has won his last two starts, while stablemate Hurricane Fly was last seen scoring at Leopardstown.
The pair spearhead a seven-strong challenge from Mullins, who has won the race twice with Tourist Attraction in 1995 and Ebaziyan two years ago.
Mikael D’Haguenet landed the Grade One Barry & Sandra Kelly Memorial Novices’ Hurdle at Navan in December and is another of Mullins’ team.
Nicky Henderson’s pair of Mad Max and Ainama are both prominent in the ante-post lists and feature among the trainer’s six entries.
Noel Meade, David Pipe and Alan King have all entered 10 possibles, with the latter having Karabak and Grade Two winner Medermit as his leading hopes.
Quwetwo, an easy winner at Doncaster last week, could bid to give County Durham trainer Howard Johnson a second victory in the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle following Arcalis in 2005.
The trainer also has classy Flat recruit Red Moloney among eight entries, while champion trainer Paul Nicholls has five entries, the pick being Conflictofinterest.
Andy Turnell rode Beacon Light to Supreme glory in 1976 for his trainer father, Bob, and he could saddle Micheal Flips after the five-year-old registered a seven-length triumph at Kempton on Boxing Day.
Turnell said: “We have given Micheal Flips entries in both the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle and the Ballymore Properties Novices’ Hurdle and he will almost certainly go for the two-mile race at the moment.
“He’s come out of his win at Kempton in good form. He made a very bad blunder at the penultimate flight when he was second to Show Winner at the same course in November and cut his knee open. He would appear to be more effective on a faster surface but he won a point to point at Lismore last March on yielding ground so I’m hopeful that he’s quite versatile in terms of ground.”
