Cheltenham April Meeting – Day One – CopyBet

Willie Mullins is clearly doing his level best to land back-to-back trainers' titles in Britain and so we find the Closutton maestro with his share of runners on this card, not something that we have traditionally come to expect of the Irish powerhouse.

They include a double-barrelled challenge in race one as TOAD HALL and Dr Eggman line up in the Citipost Novices' Hurdle over two-and-a-half-miles.

The former is the mount of Sean O'Keefe – a Grade 1 winner here last month on Lecky Watson – and they are nicely placed to add to the Mullins coffers as he battles Skelton in the trainers' title race.

This son of Fame And Glory won a Downpatrick maiden (2m6f, good) at the end of March, coming clear for a decisive success. His hurdles bow before that was at Punchestown (2m4f, heavy) where he was second-best behind the mare Familiar Dreams, the pair having come miles clear of the rest.

Familiar Dreams won a Grade 3 on next start and has since run well in a Grade 1 at Aintree. There should be more to come from Toad Hall and ground conditions aren't a worry.

If Mullins does indeed get on the scoresheet in the opener, the pressure will be on Skelton to respond and the long-time championship leader might do just that with MR HOPE STREET in the Safran Landing Systems Handicap Hurdle over three miles.

He boasts form figures of 2112 in his four starts this season. He was touched off at Carlisle (2m4f, good to soft) on his comeback in October and then notched wins at Southwell and Warwick in early December.

He went up 15lb in the ratings and perhaps a third run in quick succession was an issue at Newbury between Christmas and New Year as he was second behind Jipcot off a 3lb lower mark than this.

That Southwell success was his only race at this sort of trip and there remains plenty of scope for better as a stayer after being freshened up since.

Gordon Elliott sends just one runner to Cheltenham for this card and that is the mare JUMPING JET, who will contest the Brooklands Watches Golden Miller Racing Holman Handicap Chase over three-and-a-half-miles.

She was third in the Ulster National at Downpatrick last month over this sort of trip and had won that same contest in 2024, emphasising her fondness for a severe test of stamina.

An early mistake last time didn't help, and she perhaps did well to make the frame given how the race panned out.

All four of her career wins have come in the months of March and April and she is certainly a spring horse. She looks well set for a big run from a mark just 1lb higher than her Irish equivalent.