The unprecedented strength in depth of Willie Mullins's Cheltenham squad has seen significant market support for the champion trainer's number two jockey, Paul Townend, to wind up leading rider at the festival.
Initially dismissed as a 66-1 outsider in many betting lists, the prospect of Ruby Walsh possibly picking wrong on occasion from a near 50-strong Mullins team has encouraged some punters to put their faith in Townend and he has been cut to 25-1 to pick up the leading rider prize at the festival which begins in less than two weeks’ time.
"What he could pick up from Ruby's cast-offs is potentially better than what most other leading jockeys can look forward to at Cheltenham. Some shrewd punters look to have cottoned on to that," said the RaceBets spokesman Joseph Burke.
Old ally
Townend is already widely presumed likely to end up riding his old ally Hurricane Fly in the Champion Hurdle while Mullins is set to saddle more than one runner in most of the other Grade One festival contests and possibly even the handicaps, the weights for which are out on Wednesday.
Already this season Townend has struck big-race gold on Mullins "second-strings" including the Royal Bond on Nichols Canyon, the Dial-A-Bet Chase on Twinlight, the Slaney Hurdle on Mckinley and last month's Grade Two Leopardstown prize on Outlander.
With Walsh facing a Champion Hurdle quandary between the favourite Faugheen and the legendary veteran Hurricane Fly, Townend looks to be in an enviable position and he has reported: “Given I ride out Hurricane Fly, and I won my first Grade 1 on him, it would be extra special to ride him in a Champion Hurdle. Whatever Ruby decides to do, I’ll be pretty happy either way.”
Townend's sole Festival success to date has come on the Arthur Moore trained What A Charm in the 2011 Fred Winter Hurdle. Mullins remains a 16-1 shot with RaceBets to saddle ten or more winners at Cheltenham and is the hottest favourite of the week to be crowned leading trainer at a prohibitive 1-5.
Confidence also appears to be growing in Ireland that the visitors can outscore the home team for just the second time in history with Irish-trained horses backed into 9-4 to win the majority of the 27 races up for grabs. The UK-trained team has drifted a point into 1-3. Irish trained horses won 14 races at the 2013 festival.
Bryan Cooper is a 10-1 shot to be leading festival rider and the Kerry man's enviable pick of the Gigginstown Stud string is set to include the highly-rated Tell Us More.
Unbeaten record
Mckinley ended Tell Us More’s unbeaten record in the Slaney but Mullins has been pleased with the six year old’s recent home work and has the range of Grade One novice entries to pick from.
“The Neptune could be the race for him although on his pedigree he could go for the Albert Bartlett and he has the speed for the Supreme,” Mullins said.
The champion trainer has also indicated Up For Review is still on track to appear in the Weatherbys Champion Bumper despite getting beaten in a two horse race at Naas last Sunday.
“The weather conditions were very bad in terms of a bad head wind and it didn’t help him having to make the running,” he said. “Provided he’s okay I think we still plan to send him to Cheltenham.”
Champagne Fever also has a number of festival entries but both Mullins and Ruby Walsh have indicated a crack at the Queen Mother Champion Chase looks favoured at present for the Rich Ricci-owned grey.
“That looks like where he’s going. There are a few class horses in there - Sprinter Sacre and Sire De Grugy. They are very good horses and both have had difficult campaigns,” Walsh reported.
“Dodging Bullets is the standard bearer and Mr Mole is a massive improver, but Champagne Fever’s record over two miles is very good – two from three – and he was impressive last week so in what looks an open enough contest, he’d be a very good ride,” he added.
