Fresh from breaking records at both Cheltenham and Punchestown, Willie Mullins is considering turning his attention towards Paris this weekend where On His Own holds an entry in Sunday's €850,000 French Gold Cup.
On His Own, runner-up in the 2014 Cheltenham Gold Cup, is currently among 16 horses left in the Grade One Grand Steeple-Chase De Paris and figures among an impressive list of Mullins contenders at Auteuil over the weekend.
Ireland’s champion National Hunt trainer has consistently used Saturday’s Grade Two Prix La Barka over the years as a prep’ for next month’s French Champion Hurdle, the Grande Course De Haies D’Auteuil, and this time has left both Gitane Du Berlais and Val De Ferbet as possible starters.
Gitane Du Berlais has already travelled to France’s premier jumps track this season, winning a Grade Three hurdle at Auteuil in March before finishing fourth to Gilgamoba in the Ryanair Gold Cup at Fairyhouse a month ago.
Also left among the 21 current entries in the €175,000 Barka are the David Pipe pair Ballynagour and Vieux Lion Rouge while Britain's champion trainer Paul Nicholls has the option of running Silsol.
Rare gap
Mullins has left Buiseness Sivola in Saturday’s
Grade Three Prix Questaabad
while Analifet and Gitane Du Berlais feature among entries for a Listed hurdle on the same day.
York’s Musidora Stakes is a rare gap on Aidan O’Brien’s cross-channel big-race CV but the Group One winner Together Forever will get an opportunity to put that right after she was confirmed one of five runners in the Group Three Oaks trial.
Together Forever’s major opponent looks like being the John Gosden-trained Star Of Seville, as low as 10 to 1 in betting lists for the Epsom Oaks.
Together Forever had Wednesday's Group Three Blue Wind Stakes at Naas as an alternative option but that race could still exert an influence. Jessica Harrington has kept in the Prix Marcel Boussac third, Jack Naylor, who features as a 20 to 1 in some ante-post betting markets for Epsom.
O’Brien has also kept open the option of running Cougar Mountain in Saturday’s Group One Lockinge Stakes at Newbury, a race for which 19 remain with the betting topped by the Guineas winner Night Of Thunder and the French-trained Breeders Cup hero Karakontie.
He sends four runners to Killarney’s all-flat fixture and Cradle Mountain is being kept busy as he lines up for a four-runner conditions event a couple of days after finishing last in the Derrinstown Derby Trial.
