Willie Mullins has almost half a million euro to make up on Gordon Elliott in the race for this season's trainer's title, but the champion looks to step up his campaign with 10 weekend runners.
That’s a significant numerical increase now that winter conditions are taking hold and there’s an increase in quality too, with some highly rated novices starting to appear.
Senewalk is already an 8-1 second favourite for next March's Supreme at Cheltenham, despite having had only a couple of runs in his native France last year.
He is, however, a son of Walk In The Park, sire of Douvan and Min, and his Irish debut at Punchestown on Saturday will be keenly analysed.
“I hope he’s as good as Min was last year. He’s fit and well and ready to start – I’m hoping he’s as good as the punters are saying!” Mullins quipped.
Another French import, Timi Roli, will appear in Sunday’s opener at Cork, where Paul Townend will also do the steering on Barcadys in the following maiden hurdle.
Hard to beat
Barcadys was a top-notch bumper performer last season, winning at Aintree and finishing third in the championship events at Cheltenham and Punchestown. He was a point-to-point winner prior to that and he will be hard to beat.
The former champion conditional jockey Kevin Sexton has two rides at Cork before a six-month ban for a positive cocaine test begins on Monday.
His best hope of signing off on a winner could be Emcon in the second handicap hurdle.
If the Mullins bandwagon is starting to accelerate, then his great rival Elliott is hardly slowing down and he has 27 weekend runners in Ireland, with another at Uttoxeter for good measure.
Shattered Love is Elliott's hope in Saturday's listed hurdle at Punchestown but this one will do well to cope with the experienced Let's Dance. PUNCHESTOWN Saturday: 12.00 – Landofhopeandglory; 12.30 – Let's Dance (Nap); 1.00 – Woodland Opera; 1.35 – Vinnie Luck; 2.10 – Presenting Percy; 2.45 – Foxrock; 3.20 – Senewalk; 3.55 – The Comediologist Nap and Double: Let's Dance & The Comediologist CORK: 12.50 – Timi Roli; 1.25 – Bacardys; 2.00 – Fighting Days; 2.30 – Emcon; 3.05 – Garri Rua; 3.35 – My Hometown; 4.05 – Monbeg Worldwide
