The sponsors make Frodon 5/2 favourite for Saturday's Paddy Power Irish Gold Cup after nine horses were left in the highlight of day one of the Dublin Racing Festival.
Paul Nicholls has confirmed the market leader to be on target for the race and Bryony Frost will take the ride. The ten-year-old was last seen finishing fourth in the Ladbrokes King George VI Chase at Kempton on Boxing Day.
He'd previously won the Ladbrokes Champion Chase at Down Royal and faces a rematch with Minella Indo, last year's Cheltenham Gold Cup hero who finished second there.
Willie Mullins could run Kemboy, Asterion Forlonge, Janidil and Cilaos Emery with Gordon Elliott responsible for the three other entries Mount Ida, Conflated and Delta Work.
Paddy Power: 5/2 Frodon, 11/4 Kemboy, Minella Indo, 4 Asterion Forlonge, 10 Mount Ida, 14 Delta Work, 16 Janidil, 33 Conflated, 100 Cilaos Emery
Ten horses have stood their ground for the opening Grade One of the weekend – the Nathaniel Lacy & Partners Solicitors “50,000 Cheltenham Bonus For Stable Staff” Novice Hurdle.
The two that dispute favouritism are Elliott’s Hollow Games and De Bromhead’s unbeaten Journey With Me, while Bronn could put his unbeaten record on the line for the Mullins team.
Elliott’s Fil Dor, another unbeaten prospect, sets the standard in the Spring Juvenile Hurdle.
The Mullins-trained Vauban – narrowly beaten by Fil Dor’s stablemate and subsequent Cheltenham winner Pied Piper on his Irish debut – is rated his biggest threat by bookmakers.
Despite the enforced absence of ante-post favourite Ferny Hollow, Mullins still appears to hold the ace hand in the Irish Arkle, with Blue Lord, Haut En Couleurs and Saint Sam among seven possibles. Riviere D’etel (Elliott), second to Ferny Hollow at Christmas, heads the opposition.
It might not be a Grade One, but the concluding Goffs Future Stars (C&G) INH Flat Race promises to be a hugely informative affair.
Mullins has whittled down his team to two, with Facile Vega – a son of the great racemare Quevega – the likely favourite following a runaway success on his course and distance debut.
The champion trainer has also left in another course winner in Embassy Gardens, with Peter Fahey’s The Big Doyen and and Sandor Clegane from Paul Nolan’s yard also in contention.
