Patrick Mullins is thrilled to be back on Diverge in Tuesday's KPMG Champion Novice Hurdle at Punchestown, but fears he faces a tough task.
A winner on the Flat in France, he ran a cracker at Cheltenham when finishing third in the Sky Bet Supreme, two-and-three-quarter lengths behind stablemate and runner-up Facile Vega.
The pair reoppose on Tuesday but while hopeful of a bold show from his mount, the jockey says the favourite is giving all the right signals at home.
Speaking on the latest Mullins It Over podcast, he said: "Diverge ran great at Cheltenham where we rode him to run well. It was a big field so we dropped him in and got him settled. These horses that come off the Flat tend to race a bit free, they’re used to going a stride faster than say bumper horses or point-to-pointers.
"It’s a completely different type of race at Punchestown, there are only five runners and a lot less hustle and bustle and maybe atmosphere than Cheltenham, that will help.
"We can ride him a bit differently here too. Il Etait Temps always drops out, you’d imagine No Looking Back will drop out, Found A Fifty has made it in the past but didn’t at Aintree so it will be interesting to see what he does while Facile Vega can go off or settle in too.
"I’d imagine we’ll be somewhere in the first three, I wouldn’t be afraid to make it if there was an uncontested lead and I think we can get closer to Facile Vega. On what they do at home it will be very hard to beat him but being a smaller field straight away we’re sitting a couple of lengths closer to him.
"Facile Vega came out of Cheltenham really well. I rode him in work earlier in the week and he felt great and in all honesty I’d expect him to confirm the placings and finish the season on a high."
Listen to the Mullins It Over Podcast
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