The dual-Cheltenham Gold Cup hero Al Boum Photo will line up at Tramore on New Year’s Day in a bid to get some ideal preparation under his belt.
On the back of a vintage Christmas, Willie Mullins is eagerly anticipating the start of 2021.
Al Boum Photo has already used the Grade Three Savills New Year’s Day to twice tee himself up for Gold Cup glory in March and Mullins is confident a lack of race fitness won’t be a problem.
“He’s in great form. He hasn’t missed a beat coming into this. I’d be disappointed if fitness is an issue,” he said on Tuesday.
Jockey Paul Townend also reported: "I'd suppose it's tried and tested now so why change it.
“This time of year you’re guaranteed a bit of safe ground down there. It’s worked the last two years and we’ll be hoping it works a third time.”
The rescheduled Limerick programme lost to the weather on Sunday takes place on Wednesday instead with a single Mullins runner, Pont Aval, lining up in a hurdle.
However by the end of Leopardstown’s festival action the champion trainer’s tally for the last four days was a remarkable 16 winners.
It included half a dozen of the eight Grade One contests up for grabs over the holiday period.
Paying tribute to his team, Mullins said it had been a “fantastic week” and that the results vindicated tweaks in preparing his massive string of runners.
“We set up our gallop differently. Every summer we have a kind of ‘think tank’ and see what we can do differently. We try to tweak things and the changes we’ve made seem to be working out,” he said.
The Christmas action has seen Mullins close the gap considerably to his great rival Gordon Elliott in the race to be champion trainer.
Elliott, who revealed on St Stephen’s Day he has tested positive for coronavirus, saddled half a dozen winners over Christmas.
They included Grand Roi who landed Limerick's Grade Two feature on Tuesday while the Noel and Valerie Moran colours were also successful in Leopardstown's bumper aboard the 1-2 favourite Hollow Games.
Having had to miss the day three action due to an issue with a collarbone, Jack Kennedy was passed to ride on Tuesday. He teamed up with Co Wicklow trainer Francis Flood to win the novice handicap hurdle on Millen To One.
It was a memorable day for 21-year-old jockey Tom Kelly, who had the first winner of his career on the 16-1 shot Midnight Maestro in the Opportunity Chase.
