Willie Mullins will saddle five of the nine horses for Saturday’s Deloitte Novice Hurdle at Leopardstown.
Mullins knows all about the race having trained the last three winners of the Grade One contest and has plenty of interest this time around as well.
Nichols Canyon won last year while Vautour and Champagne Fever were triumphant in 2014 and 2015 respectively.
This year the veteran will have Bellshill, who won the Lawlor’s Hotel Novice Hurdle at Naas last time out, and Yorkhill, who claimed the Tolworth Hurdle at Sandown, going to post.
Bleu Et Rouge, Petit Mouchoir and Thomas Hobson are Mullins’ other charges but Last Encounter, trained by his sister-in-law Mags Mullins, is more likely to run in the Surehaul Mercedes-Benz Novice Hurdle at Clonmel on Thursday.
“We’re not sure what we’re going to do yet, but I’d say Clonmel is probably more likely,” said Mullins. “He’s in good form, so I’ll have a chat with the owners and see what they want to do.”
