3.20:Favourites may be taking a beating with 16 losers in 19 races, but one of the side battles at Cheltenham in which the Irish are raging hotpots year-in year-out to provide the greatest number of winners centres upon the world of breeding.
The pundits would be in no way surprised that at the end of day three the scoreline should read 12 Irish, six French and one English. The French, though dwarfed in numbers by the Irish, will be bidding this afternoon for a 3-1 victory in the most valuable race each day with Kauto Star(FR) odds-on to follow in the hoofprints of Binocular (FR) and Big Buck's (FR). He is no Arkle but at his best he is a serious champion chaser.
2.40:Willie Mullins is obviously an adherent of the adage "if at first you don't succeed try, try again". On Wednesday his Quel Espritwas backed in to 5/1 second favourite in the Neptune Investment Management Novices Hurdle but was a second flight casualty. This is a longer trip but he has won over three miles and had gone into Wednesday's race with five wins from seven National Hunt starts.
4.40:The first big Leopardstown handicap hurdle of the year saw Willie Mullins with a 2nd, 3rd and 4th, but he would not have begrudged John Mulhern the honour of training his very last winner. There was a very strong market move for C'Est Ca. He was beaten a total of 3 1/2 lengths by Puyol and Mullins promptly put him by for Cheltenham.
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