Flame Bearer, a dual Grade 2-winning novice hurdler for Pat Doyle last season, has joined 16-time Irish champion jumps trainer Willie Mullins ahead of his novice chase campaign - and the Sporting Life Arkle has been earmarked as a potential target.
Mullins said: "Flame Bearer looks a real novice chasing type, a Sporting Life Arkle type.
"Coming from Pat Doyle's I imagine he's going to be a hell of a jumper over a fence. If he is, maybe he could be a front-running two-miler.
"He's a horse I think wants to get on with the job and the type of horse who will jump out and be at the front end of a race. He's an exciting prospect going novice chasing for us this season and I think he could improve hugely for going over fences."
The seven-year-old Flame Bearer, a 33/1 shot for the Sporting Life Arkle, was last seen finishing runner-up behind new stablemate State Man in the Grade 1 Champion Novice Hurdle at the Punchestown Festival.
You can also read Mullins' thoughts on State Man, plus the likes of Allaho, Energumene, Galopin Des Champs and a host of other stars, in a stable tour that will be available on Sportinglife.com on Sunday.
Included in the stable tour is an update on Monkfish, who missed all of last season and is unlikely to make the Cheltenham Festival this time around. Mullins said: "Monkfish is back in training but I'm not going to press any buttons. If I can get him out before the end of the season I can't see myself aiming him for Cheltenham. If by any chance he comes forward I'd love to get a run into him at Punchestown towards the end of the season or something like that.
“He just hasn't recovered in the way I would have expected him to recover. At the moment he's fine but I don't want to go too fast and be out again, so I'm just going to take it very, very steady. I wouldn't be putting any ante-post bets on for Cheltenham."
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