Willie Mullins dominates the fields for the three Grade 1s on the opening day of the Punchestown Festival on Tuesday as he is responsible for three of the five runners in the Champion Novice Hurdle and four of the six declared to contest the Champion Chase and Champion Novice Chase.
Mullins has not declared Ballymore winner Impaire Et Passe for the Champion Novice Hurdle (16:15) and instead saddles Facile Vega, Diverge and Il Etait Temps, a trio who represented him in the Sky Bet Supreme Novices' Hurdle at Cheltenham.
Last season's leading bumper performer Facile Vega fared best of the Mullins team in the Supreme, finishing runner-up behind Marine Nationale, while Diverge was third and Il Etait Temps fifth.
They will be ridden by the same jockeys as at Cheltenham, with Paul Townend aboard Facile Vega, Patrick Mullins on Diverge and Danny Mullins on Il Etait Temps.
The field for the two-mile event is completed by the Gordon Elliott-trained Found A Fifty, who finished eighth in the Top Novices' Hurdle at Aintree last week, and Oliver McKiernan's No Looking Back who was tenth in the same contest.
Energumene successfully defended his Champion Chase crown at Cheltenham last month and will be bidding to do likewise at Punchestown on Tuesday (17:25).
Dublin Chase winner Gentleman De Mee was forced to miss Cheltenham after picking up an infection but is back in time for Punchestown. Blue Lord had Gentleman De Mee well behind him when landing the Paddy's Rewards Club Chase at Leopardstown over Christmas but was only runner-up behind that rival in the Dublin Chase. He drops back in trip here having finished down the field in the Ryanair Chase at the Cheltenham Festival last time.
Mullins' team is completed by Chacun Pour Soi who won this event in 2021 and was runner-up to Energumene last season but hasn't looked the force of old this term.
Also in the line-up are the Patrick Foley-trained Rebel Gold, who won a Grade 3 at Naas in February, and Henry de Bromhead's Magic Daze who refused to race in the Mares' Chase at Cheltenham last time but had won a listed event at Naas on her previous outing.
Sir Gerhard, Appreciate It and James Du Berlais, who finished second, third and fourth respectively in the Willowwarm Gold Cup over two and a half miles at Fairyhouse a couple of weeks ago, are part of Mullins' team for the three-mile Champion Novice Chase (18:35).
Paul Townend is on Appreciate It again while Daryl Jacob is back aboard James Du Berlais and Patrick Mullins retains the ride on Sir Gerhard. Sir Gerhard's owners, Cheveley Park Stud, are also represented by Classic Getaway who hasn't been seen since making a successful chasing debut for Mullins in a two-and-a-half-mile beginners' chase at Gowran Park in November. He will be ridden by Danny Mullins.
Journey With Me fell when looking booked for a place in that beginners' chase at Gowran but has progressed well subsequently for De Bromhead and won a Grade 3 at Naas last month. The field is completed by the Emmet Mullins-trained Feronily who contested bumpers earlier in the campaign but finished runner-up in a Grade 3 at Cork on his chasing debut a couple of weeks ago.
The eight-race card begins at 15:40 with a 14-runner listed mares' novice hurdle and also features a competitive handicap hurdle (16:50) and the valuable Goffs Defender Bumper (18:00).
The Punchestown Festival runs from Tuesday to Saturday and Willie Mullins' exclusive column will be available daily on Sportinglife.com.
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