Patrick Mullins is looking forward to seeing how Jasmin De Vaux takes to hurdles on his seasonal debut at Navan on Sunday.
The five-year-old gelding provided Willie Mullins with a 100th career success at the Cheltenham Festival when landing the Weatherbys Champion Bumper under the trainer’s son and assistant back in March, after which Jasmin De Vaux was eighth at Punchestown.
He sets out for the new campaign in the two-mile Headfort Arms Hotel Maiden Hurdle (12.32).
“We’re really excited to get him out,” he said. “He was Willie’s 100th Cheltenham winner which was obviously very special. He’s not a very big horse but did win a point-to-point so he’s well able to jump.
“I imagine looking a bit further ahead, he’s probably going to be a horse that could go out in trip – being a point winner.
“But he showed a good turn of foot in the Champion Bumper, so Saturday will tell a lot and we’ll see how he goes.”
Jasmin De Vaux is expected to head the betting market but may face serious competition from The Enabler (Gordon Elliott) and Workahead (Henry De Bromhead) and Mullins isn’t taking anything for granted.
He said: “It’s hard to go to Navan and win first time out, with the big fields, and it’s an ‘away game’ for us. With Gordon’s (Elliott) runners, they’re normally hard to beat there.
“So it wouldn’t be the end of the world if he was to get beat but we’d be expecting him to be bang there.”
Mullins is also keen to see how Ile Atlantique fares on his debut over fences in the Quinnbet Beginners Chase (2.52) on the same afternoon.
He said of the Tony Bloom-owned six-year-old: “He didn’t really fulfil the potential we thought he had as a bumper horse but I do think chasing might bring the best out of him as he’s a horse with a high cruising speed who jumps well.
“In a chase, there are more jumps, and I think that’ll help him relax as he can often be a bit keen.
“This is two and a half miles and there’s a lot of rain due, although I’d say he’s one who would probably prefer if there wasn’t an awful lot of rain. But we’ll see, I wouldn’t be surprised if he ends up going back in trip later in the season.”
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