Cheltenham: Willie Mullins backing Allaho to deliver repeat performance

The Willie Mullins-trained Allaho was an emphatic winner of last year’s Ryanair Chase and the history-making trainer is confident that Allaho can, once again, put his rivals to the sword after connections enjoyed a timely boost in yesterday’s opening race when Sir Gerhard took the opening Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle.

This provided Mullins with a landmark 80th Festival win and he’ll be disappointed if Allaho does not add to the tally.

“I hope he can do what he did last year. To me, I’ll be disappointed if he doesn’t come with a very good run,” said Mullins.

“His run last year looked like he was made for the track. If he can reproduce that run, hopefully that will be good enough.”

Like Sir Gerhard, Allaho runs in the colours of Cheveley Park stud whose director Richard Thompson is similarly confident of a bold showing.

He said: “Allaho has done nothing wrong in the last 12 months. He was brilliant at Cheltenham, finished second to Chacun Pour Soi at Punchestown and is two from two this season. We’ve got to hope he’s going to go there and win again.”

The leading British-trained contender is Dan Skelton’s Shan Blue who not been seen since coming down three out when leading Wetherby’s Charlie Hall Chase last October.

“You know Allaho is going to go a really strong gallop and you know a reproduction of his run last year is going to be sufficient to win. I think everyone was blown away by his performance last year,” said Skelton.

“What makes me think we can beat Allaho is we’ve got a horse who was putting up the best performance of his life when he fell at Wetherby and I think he’s only getting better.”

Meanwhile, unbeaten novices Bob Olinger and Galopin Des Champs face a mouthwatering clash in the Grade One Turners Novices’ Chase.

Only four – all trained in Ireland – have stood their ground for the day three opener and Henry de Bromhead’s Bob Olinger was a hugely impressive winner of last season’s Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle under regular rider Rachael Blackmore.

His jumping has not been entirely convincing in two starts over fences to date, but he showed his class when pulling clear in a Grade Three at Punchestown on his latest appearance.

“I think he’s been really good and he jumped fine at Gowran. I thought he then improved a lot at Punchestown and he’s schooled since at Navan and jumped really well,” said De Bromhead.

The Mullins-trained Galopin Des Champs took the Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys’ Handicap Hurdle at last year’s Festival. He looks set to scale even greater heights over larger obstacles judged on his two starts at Leopardstown this season.

Meanwhile, the Grade One Paddy Power Stayers’ Hurdle features the last three winners of the race – Paisley Park, Flooring Porter and Lisnagar Oscar with the latter set to carry the blue and yellow colours of the Ukrainian flag.

Defending champion Minella Indo, last year’s runner-up A Plus Tard and dual winner Al Boum Photo all feature amongst 11 runners who have been declared for tomorrow’s Boodles Cheltenham Gold Cup.

The sole Northern challenger is Aye Right for trainers Harriet Graham and Gary Rutherford, with Callum Bewley in the saddle.