Mullins stars on course for Punchestown

Willie Mullins has confirmed his big guns on course for the Punchestown Festival later this month.

The Irish champion trainer has enjoyed another spectacular season, highlighted by five winners at the Cheltenham Festival – including an opening day treble.

Champagne Fever claimed the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle, Hurricane Fly regained his Champion Hurdle crown and Quevega raced into the history books with a remarkable fifth win in the OLBG Mares’ Hurdle.

With that trio set to be joined by the likes of Cheltenham Gold Cup runner-up Sir Des Champs at Punchestown, Mullins looks set to dominate once again.

“All our top horses appear to have come out of the big meetings at Fairyhouse and Cheltenham in good form,” he told At The Races.

“We’ll be working them on Tuesday and maybe again later in the week and then we’ll decide their targets, although the likes of Hurricane Fly have obvious targets.”

Hurricane Fly will be aiming for a fourth straight win in the Rabobank Champion Hurdle on April 26, while Quevega will be aiming for her fourth win in the Ladbrokes World Series Hurdle 24 hours earlier.

Sir Des Champs will be lining up in the Bet Online With TheTote.com Punchestown Gold Cup on April 24.

Meanwhile, Mullins revealed that Blackstairmountain may attempt to retain the Nakayama Grand Jump after the trainer and jockey Ruby Walsh added a Japanese Grade 1 to their cvs on Saturday morning.

“I am thrilled and if the horse’s condition is fit to come again next year I would be quite eager to do so,” said Mullins.

The eight-year-old, owned by one of Mullins’ biggest supporters Rich and Susannah Ricci, had a prep run at Nakayama last month when finishing ninth under Walsh.

That was over 2m1f and the step up to 2m5f for the 124 million yen (£822,000) contest — an idiosyncratic test around a tight figure-of-eight circuit — was a big advantage according to Mullins.

“We learned a lot from the last day,” said Mullins, whose former stars Florida Pearl and Alexander Banquet were invited to run in the race ten years ago.

“He jumped better and the extra five furlongs was a huge help. His jumping was a lot slicker and he had a better draw to get a better position. The main thing was he handled the track.”