Mullins ponders swift Fairyhouse return with Gaelic Warrior
Week Arkle In To Novices' Powers Warrior Chase The Last Victory Gaelic Challenge Trophy
Having bounced back to his brilliant best in last week’s Arkle Challenge Trophy Novices' Chase at the Cheltenham Festival, Gaelic Warrior could make a swift return to the track by running in the WillowWarm Gold Cup at Fairyhouse on Easter Sunday.
Stablemate and subsequent dual Gold Cup winner Galopin Des Champs ran at both meetings as a novice, falling at the last when well clear in the Turners Novices' Chase at Cheltenham before strolling to victory on home soil a month later.
“We brought Galopin Des Champs back from Cheltenham two years ago to win this so it can be done. I’ll see how Gaelic Warrior is, I’m very happy with him,” Mullins said.
“He has a huge amount of ability. He won the three-mile novice hurdle at Punchestown that Galopin Des Champs won so I was never worried about his stamina, but the fact he can do this over a shorter trip is fantastic, it shows he has class.
"Ted Walsh always said a good Gold Cup winner could win a Champion Chase, as that is how you separate the ordinary Gold Cup winners from the very good ones, and this fellow has that type of ability."
Should Gaelic Warrior be given more time to recuperate, Blood Destiny is likely to try to give Mullins a sixth successive win in the race.
"I'm looking at Blood Destiny, he's one that could go there. This race has been on my mind a while for him. We'd been trying him at two miles but a different way of riding him — we held him up in Navan— might suit for this race, I think," he said.
"He has the speed when you need it so if Gaelic Warrior doesn't come back for it, Blood Destiny could be a good substitute."
Facile Vega is unlikely to run after a lethargic effort in the Turners Novices' Chase.
"Facile Vega disappointed me at Cheltenham, I need to find out what is wrong with him," Mullins said.
"His home work suggests he has the ability I think he has. Indeed, his last three bits of work before Cheltenham, we thought he had a really good chance. Maybe we left our race at Closutton because his work was fantastic but he is taking a lot of working out."
The other Grade One event at the Easter meeting is the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Honeysuckle Mares Novice Hurdle in which Jade De Grugy may attempt to atone for her Cheltenham defeat at the hands of Golden Ace.
"Jade De Grugy could run. I think you could say all the three Irish horses in her race were all marking one another. No one wanted to commit ,” Mullins said.
"Sometimes I don't like coming back with a mare so soon as Cheltenham takes a lot out of them.
"We have A Penny A Hundred with a chance, Cuta Des As with a chance but Fun Fun Fun could be the one as she didn't go to Cheltenham.
"This is a Grade One and while it's lovely to win in Cheltenham, I like to win Grade Ones, especially with mares, so it's more important to go to Fairyhouse. We certainly did a lot of thinking this year regarding what we were keeping back for this, Cheltenham is only a Grade Two.
"If Jade De Grugy doesn't make it back, I'd say Fun Fun Fun could be the one."