Backmersackme and Sean Bowen in full flight

Emmet Mullins on McLaurey and Backmersackme at Cheltenham Festival

By Sporting Life

Horse Racing

Mon March 09, 2026 · 13h ago

Emmet Mullins saddles two leading hopes in the handicaps at the Cheltenham Festival on Tuesday and is hoping to start the week in style.

Mullins has enjoyed some notable moments at the Cheltenham Festival with the likes of The Shunter and Corbetts Cross and has quickly made himself a name that the bookmakers fear.

There has been steady support for McLaurey and the seven-year-old, who is owned by JP McManus, is the 7/2 favourite with Paddy Power for the Sun Racing Plate.

Backmersackme is only half a point longer with the same firm for the day's finale, the National Hunt Challenge Cup Novices' Handicap Chase, and Mullins told Racing TV that he is happy with both of his contenders.

"All here safe and sound, the two runners for Tuesday have arrived and so far so good.

"McLaurey is a horse who I think could be a big day in him. I'm not quite sure whether it is going to be tomorrow, he probably hasn't got the experience under his belt over fences just yet but it's Cheltenham and he's getting a run and we had to come and take our chance.

"He's coming together at the right time. Probably looking for a little cut in the ground, I was glad to see them watering this morning. I think he just might not be streetwise enough."

Mullins, though, appeared to have far more confidence in the claims of Backmersackme, saying: "This race has been the plan all season.

"He ran a cracker here back in October and we were mapping it out from there. I probably didn't expect him to get the pot in Leopardstown but it was great when it came our way and, hopefully, that leaves us in a good position.

"We were fairly confident we couldn't go far enough with him this season. He looked an out and out galloper last year, he was second at Navan with Oscars Brother behind him and they looked staying races and he hit the line well here in October when probably needing the run and was maybe caught out a bit on the faster ground."

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