Willie Mullins recently recorded his 4,000th career winner - could he be on the brink another truly remarkable achievement this weekend?
Sky Bet offer 11/1 about Ireland's multiple champion jumps trainer saddling the winner of all eight top-class races at Leopardstown's Dublin Racing Festival.
Mullins came up short in just two of the races in question at last year's DRF and talk of the clean sweep has gathered apace in the lead-up to this season's meeting with stable stars Galopin Des Champs, Facile Vega, Lossiemouth, Appreciate It and State Man among those expected to deliver the goods.
The obvious potential stumbling block in that regard could be the very first race on day one - the Nathaniel Lacy & Partners Solicitors '50,000 Cheltenham Bonus For Stable Staff' Novice Hurdle, run over the extended two miles and six furlongs.
Mullins has been responsible for seven of the past 10 winners of the race, including the last two with Minella Cocooner and Gaillard Du Mesnil, but there are three ahead of the shortest-priced Mullins runner in this year's edition, namely Good Land (Barry Connell), Sandor Clegane (Paul Nolan) and American Mike (Gordon Elliott).
Graham Cunningham, speaking on this week's Sporting Life Racing Podcast, isn't ruling anything out, with Grangeclare West and the lightly-raced French import Quais Du Paris set to go to post for Mullins.
He said: "If Willie Mullins manages to win that 'Nathaniel Lacy' race, talk of winning all the eight Grade 1s over the weekend at Leopardstown will be on.
"That looks his toughest one."
Timeform's Irish handicapper Billy Nash gave the lowdown on some of the protagonists, as well as the Mullins-trained pair: "Good Land is the current favourite.
"He was very impressive in a maiden hurdle at Leopardstown over Christmas, a race that's working out fairly well apart from the runner-up (Tag Man) got turned over at a shorter trip last weekend. There have been winners come out of the race, most notable Embassy Gardens who was only fourth on the day.
"But he's (Good Land) short enough in the betting for me. It'll be interesting to see what Willie does run here. Grangeclare West is coming back after having a legitimate excuse at Naas last time.
"And he's got Quais De Paris who is a bit of a talking horse from the Mullins yard but wasn't impressive at Tramore on his first start.
"Elsewhere, Gordon Elliott's American Mike is another on a bit of a retrieval mission. He was a really good bumper horse, disappointed at Navan the last day but - again - I think he had an excuse."
Timeform's David Johnson feels Mullins could face some stern competition from a rare British runner in the DRF opener.
Johnson said of the Nigel Twiston-Davies-trained Weveallbeencaught: "It looks a sensible bit of campaigning from Twiston-Davies.
"Because it was a Class 2 maiden hurdle he won, he wasn't well in at the weights (at Cheltenham) last weekend, he'd have had a bit more of a penalty that you might have expected a maiden hurdle winner to have.
"So it looks an interesting bit of placement as the form has worked out and he doesn't have a great deal to find on the Timeform ratings. I think he's about 11/2 which seems plenty big enough when you consider he's only 12/1 for the Albert Bartlett."
Willie Mullins' G1 Dublin Racing Festival entries:
SATURDAY
13:20 Nathaniel Lacy & Partners Solicitors '50,000 Cheltenham Bonus For Stable Staff' Novice Hurdle
- Grangleclare West
- Quais De Paris
13:55 Donohue Marquees Spring Juvenile Hurdle
- Gust Of Wind
- Jourdefete
- Tekao
- Cinsa
- Gala Marceau
- Lossiemouth
14:30 Goffs Irish Arkle Novice Chase
- Appreciate It
- Dysart Dynamo
- El Fabiolo
- Flame Bearer
- Saint Roi
15:05 Paddy Power Irish Gold Cup
- Franco De Port
- Galopin Des Champs
- Kemboy
- Stattler
SUNDAY
13:40 Ladbrokes Novice Chase (Grade 1) 13 Runners, Class 1, 2m 5f 44y
- Adamantly Chosen
- El Fabiolo
- Gaillard Du Mesnil
- Glengouly
- I Am Maximus
- James Du Berlais
- Kilcruit
14:10 Ladbrokes Dublin Chase (Grade 1) 5 Runners, Class 1, 2m 1f
- Blue Lord
- Gentleman De Mee
15:40Tattersalls Ireland Novice Hurdle (Grade 1) 9 Runners, Class 1, 2m
- Dark Raven
- Facile Vega
- Gaelic Warrior
- Il Etait Temps
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