Battalion lighter this year for Mullins - but festival could still prove gold-en

Willie Mullins will return to Cheltenham without many of the superstar names of recent years and by his own admission a depleted squad - but only a fool would bet against the winning-most trainer in Festival history making the headlines at Prestbury Park once again.

It is 24 years since the Closutton maestro first struck gold in the Cotswolds, with Tourist Attraction in the Supreme Novices' Hurdle.