WITH JUST over three weeks to the start of Cheltenham, champion trainer Willie Mullins insists Mikael D’Haguenet remains very much part of his festival plans. The brilliant ex-French star is unbeaten in six starts for Mullins, including at last year’s Cheltenham Festival, but he hasn’t run since the start of May last year and is still to jump a fence in public in Ireland.
Despite that Mikael D’Haguenet is as low as 12 to 1 with Powers for the RSA Chase and also holds an entry in the Arkle Trophy over two miles.
No decision has been taken on which race is his festival target but any speculation that the brilliant novice may miss out completely on the meeting was countered by Mullins yesterday.
“He has done a few bits of fast work and the plan is to school him this week. I spoke to the owner yesterday and Cheltenham is still in our thoughts with this horse,” he said.
Asked if time had run out on giving Mikael D’Haguenet a warm-up race for the festival, or if he might have a racecourse school, Mullins replied: “Our preference would still be to get a run into him.”
Mullins already has a prominent Arkle candidate in Sports Line who is as low as 12 to 1 in betting for the two-mile event.
He holds an entry in Sunday’s Nas Na Riogh Chase at Naas and the horse remains a possible for the Grade Two event. “He will work in the morning and then we will see how the race is shaping up,” the trainer said while indicating that Morning Supreme could line up for the Grade Two novice hurdle on the same card.
The Mullins-trained Cooldine was reported to be in good shape and is among the 19 remaining in the Cheltenham Gold Cup after yesterday’s entry stage.
Four other Irish trained horses – Notre Pere, Schindlers Hunt, Aran Concerto and Casey Jones – also remain in the race.
Up-and-coming rider Emmet Mullins can enjoy a memorable meeting at Clonmel this afternoon when he teams up with his uncle, Willie Mullins, for the promising novice chasers, Quiscover Fontaine and The Midnight Club.
Both horses are regular mounts for the jockey and Quiscover Fontaine looks a promising sort who can continue his winning form in the two-mile conditions chase.
Quiscover Fontaine is a 40 to 1 shot in some lists for the Arkle at Cheltenham on the back of a winning comeback at Limerick last month, where the six-year-old continued his prolific run at that track.
The Midnight Club has run three times over fences this season and for a horse that managed to run third to Weapons Amnesty in Cheltenham’s Albert Bartlett last year it is disappointing that he hasn’t been able to win yet.
However, today’s Beginners Chase looks a suitable opportunity with Unforgivable looking the principal danger.
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