Willie Mullins has confirmed the newly-named Gallagher Novices’ Hurdle as Ballyburn’s Cheltenham Festival target, with Mystical Power and Tullyhill both bound for the Sky Bet Supreme Novices’ Hurdle.

Beaten by Firefox on his hurdling debut at Fairyhouse in December, Ballyburn subsequently bolted up over two and a half miles at Leopardstown before successfully reverting to two miles to strike Grade One gold at last month’s Dublin Racing Festival.

The six-year-old has been at the head of ante-post lists for both the Supreme and the Gallagher Novices’ Hurdle since that latter triumph and Mullins moved to clarify running plans on Thursday.

“Mystical Power will run in the Sky Bet Supreme and Ballyburn, all being well, will run in the Baring Bingham (Gallagher Novices’ Hurdle),” he told Sportinglife.com.

“Paul Townend will probably ride Tullyhill in the Supreme.”

Mystical Power, a son of Galileo out of Champion Hurdle-winning mare Annie Power, is two from two over hurdles and looks likely to be partnered by Mark Walsh, retained jockey for part-owner JP McManus.

The Cheveley Park Stud-owned Tullyhill was beaten at 1-8 on his hurdling debut, but has since registered two wide-margin wins at Naas and Punchestown respectively.

Willie Mullins is the most successful trainer in the history of the Cheltenham Festival and on the brink of registering a landmark 100th winner at the showpiece meeting.

He currently sits on 94 winners and if recent history is anything to go by, he is likely to bring up his century this year having been the leading trainer for nine of the last 12 Festivals

Here, we take a look at those most likely to take Mullins into a realm many would have thought impossible when his career began.

State Man (Champion Hurdle)

Constitution Hill’s defection has left the door open for Mullins to land the opening-day feature for the first time since Annie Power in 2016. State Man has won 10 of his last 11 starts, with the only defeat coming against Nicky Henderson’s ailing superstar in this race 12 months ago. February’s Irish Champion Hurdle success at the Dublin Racing Festival was his third Grade One triumph of the current campaign and this consummate professional has a happy knack of getting the job done with the minimum of fuss.

Galopin Des Champs (Gold Cup)

While Mullins treasures every Cheltenham winner as if it is his last, there is no doubt that having your biggest weapon in the blue-riband event among an arsenal of ammunition must be something of a comfort blanket. Things may be going smoothly now and he is coming in off the back of two utterly dominant performances, but Mullins deserves credit for getting him back to top form as he was beaten on his two subsequent outings after winning the Gold Cup last year. He is going to take some stopping.

El Fabiolo (Queen Mother Champion Chase)

Perhaps the best example of Mullins’ strength in depth is that his Energumene has been denied the chance to bid for a third Champion Chase through injury and yet the stable will still field the odds-on favourite for the race. Winner of the Arkle last year, he did have the tendency to make the odd mistake as a novice but in two runs this season, while he has not been forced to come out of second gear, his jumping has looked assured. With his major rival Jonbon blotting his copybook last time out, El Fabiolo will be a banker for many.

Ballyburn (Supreme Novices’ Hurdle/Gallagher)

While many love playing a game of ‘Mullins Bingo’ before the Festival, trying to guess which race his horses will run in, the form book says it is undisputable that Ballyburn is his best novice hurdler. His pedigree suggest he will stay three miles no problem, and he did win over two and a half miles by 25 lengths. However, dropped back to two miles at the Dublin Racing Festival he won a Grade One by seven lengths and that could easily have been doubled. Mullins has other novices that in different yards would be their best chance of the Festival, such as Tullyhill, Ile Atlantique and Mystical Power, but Ballyburn is surely Closutton’s best chance in those events wherever he goes.

Fact To File (Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase)

When Mullins announced in the autumn that Fact To File was to eschew a hurdling campaign and be sent straight over fences, it was easy to be reminded of the ‘Florida Pearl’ route. Of course, the difference being that Florida Pearl, perhaps Mullins’ first really great horse, won the Champion Bumper while Fact To File finished second to A Dream To Share (as he had done at the Dublin Racing Festival). He was beaten on his chasing debut but November is always early for a Mullins horse and he has shown the last twice what he is made of, most recently when completely demoralising Gaelic Warrior, a stablemate who previously had looked imperious over fences. There is no doubt Fact To File is seen as a major Gold Cup contender next season.

Lossiemouth (Mares’ Hurdle)

The standout juvenile last season, the decision was taken to miss the first half of the term after Vauban, who represents the same connections, struggled against the very best in his second season over hurdles. Commentators of the sport did not seem to disagree with the decision, that was until a sparkling reappearance at Cheltenham on Trials day when she blitzed the field, albeit lacking any Champion Hurdle contenders. Mullins has not got to nearly 100 Cheltenham winners by over-facing his horses, though, and will be quite content to have a go at the big one next year with her, all being well.

Willie Mullins is showing no signs of taking his foot off the accelerator as his Closutton juggernaut threatens to steamroll the opposition at this year’s Cheltenham Festival.

There is very little to say about Ireland’s perennial champion trainer that has not already been said, particularly this season, when his stranglehold on the sport has come under increased scrutiny.

It is important to preface any analysis of whether the remarkable dominance of the Mullins machine is good for the overall health of the sport by stating no blame can be laid at the door of the man himself.

Indeed, Mullins deserves nothing but the highest praise for assembling what is surely the most formidable squad of equine talent National Hunt racing has ever seen.

The fact that all eight Grade Ones at the Dublin Racing Festival went to only one man gave further weight to the theory this is Willie’s world and the rest of us just live in it, and yet there is absolutely no evidence Mullins is taking his success for granted.

“I say every year, we find it extraordinary ourselves that these horses keep coming and I’m delighted,” he said at what has become an annual pre-Festival press morning at his yard in early February.

To visit Closutton is a pleasure and a privilege. Imagine Sir Alex Ferguson or Pep Guardiola inviting several members of the media into their living rooms for coffee or tea and a generous serving of smoked salmon on a glorious Monday morning – it simply would not happen.

This is a man who is at the very pinnacle of his sport, and yet he comes across with the sort of down to earth charm of someone who would be quite happy to have a pint with you – and potentially drink you under the table if given the opportunity.

When it was put to him that some racing fans may find his seemingly never-ending flow of big-race winners “boring”, it soon became clear Mullins had already given the answer some thought.

He said: “We’re very lucky to have the team we have, but we buy horses from a selection of areas – France, English point-to-pointers, Irish point-to-pointers, the odd bumper horse and some stores.

“All those horses are available, I think, for everyone. Maybe we just get a bit luckier and maybe our riding team is good.

“It’s not as if we go in and plunder all the good horses out of France or out of England or out of point-to-points, clearly not. We very seldom partake in those sales, so I don’t know what to say.

“We just do what we do and I suppose it’s cyclical, isn’t it? England aren’t having the best time at the moment, but there’s some brilliant trainers there and some very good horses going to Cheltenham.”

There is no doubting that Mullins’ spending power is greater than most. Success breeds success and he now has several owners who are not shy in dishing out the big bucks in search of top honours.

However, he is certainly not the only trainer with multi-millionaire backers, so what is it that puts him so far clear of the chasing pack?

“My theory in life is if you’re not going up, you’re going down and I always look at and try to learn lessons from other sports and other trainers from over the years,” he went on.

“I’m always amazed how some trainers get to a pitch, really fantastic trainers, and then it comes down and I say ‘why, what did they do wrong?’. I look at that, analyse it and come up with our own answers.

“You look at teams in any sport, why do they win two or three leagues or All-Irelands or whatever they win and then go down? I look at that and try to put that into our game and get around that, which I think has been working so far, and that’s why we are where we are.”

Not only is Mullins hoovering up all the big prizes, but he is regularly filling out the places and, as seen at the Dublin Racing Festival on the odd occasion, saddling most, if not all of the field.

Again, it is difficult to argue such scenarios are “good for the game”, but that is not Mullins’ fault.

“My take on it is we run all the horses for individual owners, we get the horses ready for those big races and a lot of our first team didn’t win at the Dublin Racing Festival, the other ones won and I was delighted for them,” he said.

“I would say we probably compete in 45 per cent of the races (in Ireland) only. People say we dominate everything, but we don’t even run in a lot of races.

“I don’t think our dominance is any bigger than good Flat yards over the years, or other jumps trainers. Every generation, there’s a cycle of people at the top and I think it’s just nature taking its course – and it will with us too, as we get older.”

You could spend a whole day at Mullins’ yard and still not see every horse stabled there. There are barns beyond barns and the gallops can often resemble Piccadilly Circus, with horses coming at you from every angle and heading in different directions.

There is now room for around 200 horses to be in training here at any given time, dwarfing all but the biggest Flat yards. Mullins insists it has grown way beyond what even he had planned for.

“I’m amazed at the amount of horses we have, I didn’t want this many horses and I didn’t envisage having this many horses, but the opposition kept putting up the amount of horses and I said to stay relevant in the game, I have to get as big as the opposition,” he added.

“To stay on par in Ireland, we had to build more stables. Eighteen months ago, I was very happy where I was with a hundred-plus horses, but the thing has grown way bigger than I ever envisaged and it’s a lot of work.”

And so the focus turns to Cheltenham, a place where Mullins is king.

Next season’s Festival will mark the 30-year anniversary of the then small-time trainer’s first ever success at the showpiece meeting, when Tourist Attraction landed the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle.

Wind the clock forward a few decades and he is now out on his own as the most successful trainer in Festival history with a staggering haul of 94 winners – and you have to go back to 2019 to find the last time he saddled less than the half dozen he now needs to reach a magical century.

On reaching the 100-mark, he said: “It’s not something anyone in racing ever thought of. Someone mentioned it last year and thought I’d go by that mark then, and often getting to the mark can be very hard.

“We’ve gone one or two days in Cheltenham without a winner before and no one is gifted winners in Cheltenham. It’s only when you go back every year that you remember how hard it is to win there.

“Everyone is so hyped up when they get to Cheltenham and it’s so tough, so we don’t go there expecting to win, we hope to win, I always say.”

Two of the trainer’s biggest guns for this year’s Festival are State Man and Galopin Des Champs, who will bid for Champion Hurdle and Gold Cup glory respectively.

Throw in novice hurdler Ballyburn and brilliant mare Lossiemouth and it is not difficult to see why Mullins will wake up every morning between now and then with a degree of trepidation.

“We’re lucky the team we have, but I’m always dreading a Monday morning and my phone goes off and it’s someone out in the yard telling me that we’ve got three lame horses. As long as I don’t see State Man, Galopin Des Champs and those type of horses, it’s fine,” he said.

“Someone said we’ve got 12 favourites. I always say any day you get a winner is a good day, but at least six of those will get beaten. I don’t know which ones, but I’d be delighted if six of them won.

“Suppose State Man and Galopin Des Champs went (injured), that puts a fair dent in your team and I’ve seen it here, if a good horse goes, the next thing the whole yard goes down, it’s amazing.

“We have so many and we’re just hoping that most of them can run true races. You take horses over and they can’t take the occasion, or they lose a shoe the night before. There’s different reasons for horses either being non-runners or failing to give their best performance.

“I’m just trying to get the team there in A1 order and hopefully the good ones come to the top.”

Mullins is keen to stress his operation is far from a one-man show, with his son Patrick, assistant David Casey and former stable jockey Ruby Walsh all major cogs in a wheel that never stops turning.

“We have the back-up team. I can sip tea with you all morning and they’re away working,” he added.

“Patrick looks after the staff, Grainne (Whelan, racing secretary) looks after getting the horses to Cheltenham and David Casey makes sure they’re in the right races.

“Between Patrick and David, they do all the race planning and when they’ve all that done, they come back to me and I would look at it and say ‘maybe we’ve forgotten one’. I just balance up what they do.

“I have my own judgement and then I have Patrick, Davy, Ruby and Paul (Townend). Everyone throws in their tuppence worth and we try to come up with the right answers.”

There was a major shock in the football world recently when Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp made the shock announcement he was to take a break from the sport at the end of the season, citing a lack of energy for his decision.

When asked whether he can see himself suffering burnout eventually, Mullins said: “Of course I’m going to say no, because the moment someone says yes, you’re signing your own thing.

“I’m very happy with what we’re doing at the moment. I still enjoy it, as when it’s not work, it’s very easy to do, isn’t it?”

It is clearly not easy – never mind “very easy” – but nobody makes it look quite as straightforward as Willie Mullins.

Paul Nicholls knows this year’s Cheltenham Festival will be a poignant place with Keagan Kirkby “up there watching us” after the jockey’s tragic death last month.

Kirkby, a popular member of Nicholls’ Ditcheat team, died in a fall while riding at a point-to-point in Kent on February 4.

The 25-year-old was laid to rest on Tuesday with mourners in the Somerset village bedecked in the blue and white of Kirkby’s beloved Bristol Rovers.

Champion trainer Nicholls described Kirkby at the service as the “ultimate star player” and that his death had left “a big hole in that team”.

It has been a painful time for Nicholls following the death of Paul Barber, owner of his first Gold Cup winner See More Business in 1999, and part-owner of Denman, the 2008 champion.

Nicholls said: “It’s been tough from the day Keagan died but everybody has knuckled down and worked hard. Everyone is thinking of Keagan.

“It’s been a tough year for me, losing Mr Barber at the start of the season. It’s been quite hard not having him about this season and then losing Keagan.

“But the team have rallied together, everyone has worked hard and helped each other. It’s a young team and it’s been quite tough for a lot of them, but everyone has kept the winners flowing and we will all be looking forward to Cheltenham.

“I know Keagan will be up there watching us. He loved Cheltenham and anything to do with horses.

“He used to ride Blueking D’Oroux, Afadil, Firefly who won two days after he died, that was quite a poignant winner and he loved the game.”

This year’s Cheltenham Festival marks the 25th anniversary of Nicholls’ breakthrough into jump racing’s elite.

Flagship Uberalles got the ball rolling in the Arkle that year, Call Equiname landed the Queen Mother Champion Chase, and See More Business rounded it off with Gold Cup glory.

Nicholls’ team indeed partied like it was 1999 and, a quarter of a century on, he is two winners from reaching a Cheltenham milestone.

“When you start off as a trainer, you always want Cheltenham winners,” said Nicholls.

“I think it was eight years I’d been training and I hadn’t had a Cheltenham winner. Then I had three in a week, so that was a good week.

“Flagship Uberalles won the first day so I remember we went down the pub on the night, had a bit of a party and thought we’d best enjoy it.

“The next day Call Equiname won the Champion Chase so we repeated that and thought ‘we can’t believe this’. Then we won the Gold Cup the next day and I think I stayed there for a week!

“It was amazing, just amazing – you pinch yourself because you can’t believe it has happened.

“That kickstarted everything for us really and I hadn’t thought about it being 25 years ago. I think I’ve had 48 winners now, so it would be nice to get the 50.”

Nicholls is sending a streamlined squad into action at Cheltenham with quality rather than quantity appearing to be his Festival strategy.

Ginny’s Destiny, unbeaten in his last three starts over fences at Cheltenham, is a big hope for the Turners Novices’ Chase and Stay Away Fay – a Festival winner in last season’s Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle – is a real contender for the Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase.

Last year’s Gold Cup runner-up Bravemansgame is aiming to go one better in the main event, while Stage Star and Hitman are contenders in the Ryanair Chase. Captain Teague and Teeshan could also excel on the Gloucestershire course.

Nicholls won his fourth Gold Cup in 2009 when Kauto Star won his second.

He accepts life has become more difficult at Cheltenham because of Ireland’s firepower and the strength in depth that Irish trainers Willie Mullins and Gordon Elliott possess.

“It’s always hard to win at the Festival, it’s always competitive,” said Nicholls.

“You’re up against Gordon and Willie’s battalions, it’s got harder, but it’s all about having the right horses.

“We’ll probably have a dozen runners over the week, but they’re horses with chances. I’ve learnt over the years you want a small, select team of horses that have chances.”

On the prospect of replicating past glories, Nicholls said: “In those days we had Kauto, Master Minded, Denman, Big Buck’s, Celestial Halo.

“We had the right horses and with the right horses, you can compete. Like in any team sport, you need the right players.

“It’s a surreal feeling when you walk into the winner’s enclosure when you’ve won the Gold Cup, there’s nothing else like it.

“It’s unbelievable and that feeling drives you on and makes you want to do it again.

“They were amazing horses, but you have to move on and find the next generation, which hopefully we are.”

With Willie Mullins on the verge of an incredible 100 Cheltenham Festival winners, those who face the battle of taking him on could be forgiven for feeling a little resentment.

But there is not a bit of it from Gordon Elliott, perennially the runner-up to Mullins in the Irish championship and who comes up against him more than anyone else.

Rather than feeling hard done by or suggesting that Mullins is making the sport “boring” like many did after all eight Grade Ones at the Dublin Racing Festival went the way of the Closutton maestro, Elliott relishes the challenge and says the pair are pushing each other to new heights.

“I’ve been second to Willie eight or 10 years in a row (in the trainers’ championship). We’re definitely not making him better, we’re making him hungrier and he’s making us better,” said Elliott.

“I can’t have people whinging and giving out about Willie Mullins or whoever. These people giving out have chips on both of their shoulders. Willie sets the standard and we all have to chase him, make yourself better. There’s no excuse for not wanting to be the best.

“A couple of years ago we were the first to train 200 winners in a season and I think a week later he trained 200 and ended up beating us by eight or 10 that season.

“We’re in a great position and we keep training winners. We’re just probably unfortunate that we were born in the same era as probably the greatest trainer of all time. We’ll keep trying.

“The lads that know how hard it is to get to that level are not jumping up and down and shouting. The lads that are jumping up and down and shouting have had it all and let it all slip through their hands.”

Nicky Henderson is Mullins’ closest rival when it comes to Festival winners, but had a huge head start and has been left trailing in his wake somewhat with 73 winners to Mullins’ 94.

“No one would have ever thought that would be possible,” said Henderson of a possible century of winners for his great friend and rival.

“It’s a lot of races and we’ve been very lucky to win so many ourselves. I won’t say he has been luckier, but the ammunition he has these days is unbelievable.

“We are the ones who have to fight off the invasion and we’re outnumbered by Willie three to one at least, often four to one.

“You’ve got to have admiration, of course I do. But we’ve been very lucky ourselves and we have to concentrate on what we’ve got and what we can do. We’ve got a great team of people and horses and owners, and we’ve got to do the best we can.”

At the other end of the scale Fergal O’Brien is still searching for a first ever Festival win, but rather than moan about it, his daughter Fern has been over to Closutton this season as a work rider.

“I wouldn’t say she’s a spy, espionage we call it! Fern loves being there and loves working with those people,” said O’Brien.

“I’m lucky enough to have been and it’s a fantastic set up. People go on about Willie’s dominance, but it didn’t come overnight, he’s got a great system there, they’re great buyers of horses and he’s obviously a fantastic trainer.

“Fern is in a great place and I’m very proud of her.”

Robbie Power won the Gold Cup and Grand National as a jockey and is now attached to Henry de Bromhead’s stable. While he does admit Mullins’ dominance can be a little disheartening, he does at least run his best horses against each other regularly.

“I don’t see it as a problem, it is a little disheartening I suppose for a lot of people that Willie is so dominant but as the old saying goes, if you win in the sales ring then you win on the racetrack and Willie has been able to get all these horses – he has the owners, he has the ammunition,” Power told Boylesports.

“I suppose the one difference to the Flat with Aidan O’Brien for example, it’s all Coolmore whereas Willie’s runners are spread among five or six different owners. At DRF they all had Grade One winners and Willie is never afraid to have his runners take each other on, he often has three, four or five in the Grade Ones so it makes for competitive racing.”

Andy Edwards is not your typical racehorse owner. When he acquires a newcomer to his string, he is not just its owner but he becomes its guardian and friend. Now one of his greatest equine pals, L’Homme Presse, will bid to give him the greatest moment in his racing life when lining up in the Boodles Cheltenham Gold Cup.

L’Homme Presse is far from the first horse Edwards has been involved in nor will he be the last, but he has easily been the most successful and has taken Edwards – along with his wife Pam and fellow co-owners Peter and Patricia Pink – on a magical journey which has already incorporated triumph at the Cheltenham Festival.

Not too dissimilar to his co-owner, L’Homme Presse’s story has humble beginnings and his French racing career was somewhat tottering on the brink when the then injured son of Diamond Boy was plucked out of a field in Normandy by an admiring Edwards.

Little did the gelding know at the time, but he had just gained his most valuable ally, and not just a new owner, but someone who – alongside trainer Venetia Williams – was prepared to put in the hours of care and nurture required to help him fulfil his destiny.

“I adopt a soul for life,” said Edwards, explaining his ownership philosophy.

“That’s what happens and that’s what it is for me. I become their guardian not their owner and as any good guardian who adopts a child or animal it is a big responsibility and you need to guide them through their life as best you can.

“We have to be patient as owners and the other three all buy into the philosophies. We feel like we have been rewarded, but more importantly, the horse has been rewarded. Because of our beliefs, the horse has been able to be the best he can be every time he goes out.”

There is something warming about Edwards’ hands-on approach to both ownership and L’Homme Presse.

‘The horse is my number one priority’ is anything but meaningless where Edwards is concerned. L’Homme Presse’s well-being is always at the forefront of his mind during regular phone calls with his trainer and the frequent visits to the handler’s Herefordshire base.

“I’m in lots to see L’Homme Presse, I go two or three times a week,” continued Edwards.

“Venetia is an amazing lady and all of her staff – Jess and Beth and the vets – are all brilliant.

“When Venetia rings me, I tell her not to say hello just to say ‘all good’ before she says anything else, and luckily, she mostly does.”

L’Homme Presse’s connections have felt the full range of emotions the Cheltenham Festival can provide over the past few years.

In 2022 there was ecstasy as their charge stormed home on a wet Wednesday afternoon in the Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase, but their was also a sense of longing 12 months ago when their staying star was sat on the sidelines as the Gold Cup took centre stage on the final afternoon of the meeting – a race Edwards actually watched from right at the heart of the action.

“The win in the Brown Advisory was the most fantastic day you could imagine,” continued Edwards.

“At the time I stood there in the rain with my palms held up and looking up to the sky with a big grin saying ‘this is liquid sunshine’.

“Our friends are Bruce and Karen who own Ahoy Senor and they very kindly invited us last year to be with them in the paddock and for lunch. It was really lovely of them and they said to us ‘you should be here, it’s not right you are not here’. It was a lovely thing of them to do.

“But at the same time it was quite a weird feeling being their for the Gold Cup cheering on someone else’s horse – which of course we were happy to do. However, the year before we had thought we would be the ones standing in that paddock with our own horse.”

Now L’Homme Presse is just days away from finally getting his chance to line-up in the blue riband, the summit of a long adventure that has finally reached its peak.

“It’s a privilege to be there and you have to pinch yourself,” said Edwards. “The four of us (the co-owners), none of us have come from privileged backgrounds and to be in this position is dreamland.

“We have all got to try to enjoy it whatever happens and celebrate. It has been a five-year journey for me now personally and to get to that pinnacle of the sport is a massive win in its own right and an incredible achievement.

“Our attitude at the moment is to enjoy the build-up and enjoy every moment. We will accept whatever happens. I fully understand the highs and lows of this incredible sport that we’re all involved in.

“We’ve got lots of friends coming down and we will enjoy the build-up. It’s going to be a fantastic race whoever wins and a great spectacle. If all horses come back happy that would be brilliant.”

L’Homme Presse would spend over a year on the sidelines before making a triumphant return at Lingfield in January, but there was to be no repeat of heroics when he was tasked with dropping back in distance for the Ascot Chase last month.

The two-mile-five-furlong Grade One event was scheduled to be the ideal spot for L’Homme Presse to fine-tune his engine ahead of his Cheltenham assignment, but with drying ground and the emphasis becoming more about speed than endurance, the nine-year-old was unable to lay a glove on track-and-trip specialist Pic D’Orhy.

Many would see the performance as a severe dent on L’Homme Presse’s future big-race ambitions, but connections have been far from despondent and are still confident the outing will have a positive effect on his Gold Cup claims.

“The timing of the Ascot Chase was perfect for us, but the distance and the ground wasn’t perfect for us,” explained Edwards.

“At the beginning of the week they were saying we were going to get 20mm of rain and we got 2mm. It went from being soft at the beginning of the week to good ground by 3.30pm on the Saturday.

“Everything was against us but we still came second in a Grade One over a trip which was far too short for a three miler and on ground he doesn’t excel on, so we are very happy.”

While Harry Cobden was receiving plenty of plaudits for his winning ride in the aftermath of that Ascot event, it was L’Homme Presse’s jockey who was coming under fire for the amount of ground he conceded to the champion jockey elect in the early salvos of that contest.

However, the ever-loyal Edwards does not agree. He said: “It’s a shame Charlie got so much criticism as it wasn’t what we intended and he has to ride the horse that is underneath him at that moment in time.

“From our point of view Charlie gave him a great ride as he got him going and he got him running through the line and he managed to get us second in a Grade One at Ascot when at the start and halfway round things weren’t looking too healthy.”

The next stop on the L’Homme Presse odyssey is the Gold Cup itself and although there may be some nerves when Williams, Deutsch, and the staying star himself enter the bustling Prestbury Park paddock before the main event, the one thing guaranteed is that Edwards will always have the trio’s back.

“One thing I will be saying to Charlie and I always say to Venetia is, we as a group of owners believe in Venetia, we believe in Charlie and we believe in our horse,” said Edwards.

“All of us will enjoy the moment and we will definitely keep the faith.”

The Cheltenham Gold Cup celebrates its centenary this year and to mark the occasion, we look at 10 memorable renewals of National Hunt racing’s blue riband event.

Golden Miller (1935)

Golden Miller’s place in jumping legend is secure. He is the only horse ever to have won five Gold Cups, and he also won the Grand National in one of those years, 1934.

His most famous Cheltenham victory came in 1935, when he just got the better of Thomond after a great battle.

Having been denied the chance of a six-timer in 1937 due to flooding, Golden Miller led at the last as a 12-year-old the following season but eventually had to settle for second on that occasion.

Owned by the eccentric Dorothy Paget, Golden Miller’s reputation remains intact despite the passing of the years and the exploits of contemporary heroes, and it is highly unlikely that his Gold Cup record will ever be equalled.

Arkle (1964)

Near-hysteria surrounded the clash of two of the greatest chasers in history, Arkle and Mill House.

Although both horses were Irish-bred and ridden, it was a classic England versus Ireland tussle. Mill House had been brought across to Fulke Walwyn’s stable, while Arkle remained on the Emerald Isle with Tom Dreaper.

‘The big horse’, as Mill House was known, had won the previous year’s event and had beaten Arkle in that season’s Hennessy Gold Cup, although jockey Pat Taaffe reported that his horse had slipped three from home and claimed Mill House would never beat him again.

Snow threatened to ruin the big day, but it cleared in time as Willie Robinson made the running on Mill House until Arkle began to close going down the final hill.

Battle commenced at the second-last, but Robinson had to go for his whip first, and Arkle started to forge ahead before taking the final fence in front and bounding away up the hill to land the spoils by five lengths. A legend was born in that moment and he would go on to win two more Gold Cups.

Bregawn (1983)

This race will always be remembered for Michael Dickinson’s ‘famous five’, as the Yorkshire handler enjoyed total domination.

Market leader Bregawn made all the running under a 22-year-old Graham Bradley and was followed home by his stablemates Captain John, multiple King George winner Wayward Lad, defending champion Silver Buck and Ashley House.

Bradley said: “Michael was brilliant in preparing them and it was a magical moment, the man was an absolute genius.

“You have to remember that he only had 60 boxes, not 200 like some of them today. The quality of horse he assembled was quite amazing really. Bregawn won it out of stamina more than anything – and guts.”

Dawn Run (1986)

Paddy Mullins’ wonder mare became the only horse to complete the Champion Hurdle-Gold Cup double in dramatic fashion.

Everything looked to be against the inexperienced Dawn Run as a couple of early mistakes went against her and Jonjo O’Neill was hard at work to maintain the lead as they rounded the top of the straight.

It looked to be game over as Wayward Lad and Forgive ‘n Forget swept past but Dawn Run found a little bit extra to land after the second-last in front, only for Wayward Lad to put on his own spurt.

He was set for glory just 100 yards out but his questionable stamina began to wane and Dawn Run dug even deeper to claw back the lead and win by three-quarters of a length in a record time.

All set to the soundtrack of a memorable commentary by Sir Peter O’Sullevan, who cried: “The mare’s beginning to get back up… and as they come to the line, she’s made it.”

Desert Orchid (1989)

Possibly the most popular triumph in the whole history of this great race, as the flying grey was an icon who transcended the sport!

Simon Sherwood could not say enough in praise of Desert Orchid’s bravery following his thrilling duel with Yahoo in desperate conditions.

‘Dessie’ was left in front three fences from home but it looked all over bar the shouting as confirmed mud-lover Yahoo kicked on for victory.

However, Desert Orchid gave every ounce of effort on the heavy ground, finally overhauling Yahoo for a length-and-a-half verdict.

It was also another O’Sullevan masterpiece: “He’s beginning to get up, Desert Orchid is beginning to get up… Dessie has done it!”

Norton’s Coin (1990)

Although a better horse than he is given credit for, Norton’s Coin provided one of the biggest upsets in racing when he landed the Gold Cup from Toby Tobias at odds of 100-1.

Desert Orchid was sent off the odds-on favourite and made most of the running, but by the second-last he was weakening, and it was Graham McCourt aboard the nine-year-old who was travelling the best. He just outfought Jenny Pitman’s Toby Tobias in a bitter struggle up the run-in.

Norton’s Coin had won the odd decent race, but did not appear in the best form, finishing only third in an average Newbury handicap the month before.

It was an extraordinary result also for his trainer, Carmarthenshire dairy farmer Sirrell Griffiths, who had been up milking his cows that morning.

Best Mate (2004)

It may not have been the strongest renewal but nothing should be taken away from Best Mate as he became the first horse in 38 years to win three successive Gold Cups.

His two previous wins may well have been more impressive but Henrietta Knight’s charge showed plenty of courage as he outbattled three rivals up the hill.

Sir Rembrandt pushed him every yard to the line but Best Mate’s willpower saw him edge it by just under a length to join the Cheltenham greats.

Denman (2008)

A blockbuster showdown between Denman and stablemate Kauto Star was billed as the most eagerly-awaited Gold Cup battle since Arkle and Mill House – and it lived up to the hype!

‘The Tank’ galloped reigning champion Kauto Star into the ground, powering away up the hill to prevail by seven lengths, with Paul Nicholls also saddling the third-placed Neptune Collonges.

“Denman was awesome,” declared Nicholls. “He jumped and galloped and put Kauto on the back foot really. Kauto didn’t jump as well as he can and the ground may have been a little tacky for him.

“We are not going to make any excuses, as he got beat by a better horse on the day. But Kauto will be back here and will win plenty more races.”

Those words proved correct, as 2007 hero Kauto Star gained his revenge when hammering Denman by 13 lengths a year later, becoming the first horse to regain the trophy.

Coneygree (2015)

The unheralded husband and wife training partnership of Mark and Sara Bradstock pulled off an incredible coup as Coneygree became the first novice to win the Gold Cup for over 40 years.

Sent off as a 7-1 shot, the eight-year-old soon had matters his own way up front and Nico de Boinville settled his mount into a steady rhythm to ensure the race would be a thorough test of stamina.

Attacking each fence with great enthusiasm, the pair maintained a relentless gallop before repelling the late charge of Djakadam by a length and a half.

Sara Bradstock said: “It’s only his fourth run over fences, but he had so much time off and he’s wise in his own way. He is a freak, he has got ridiculously long legs.”

Unfortunately, those legs proved fragile and the horse, who was bred by the late Lord Oaksey, Sara’s father, failed to reach the same dizzy heights in the future.

A Plus Tard (2022)

Rachael Blackmore etched herself further into racing folklore as she added Gold Cup glory to her two Champion Hurdle victories and the previous year’s Grand National triumph in guiding A Plus Tard to a runaway success.

Stuck behind a wall of horses turning in, Blackmore was patient and came between Protektorat and dual winner Al Boum Photo to hunt down defending champion Minella Indo, jumping to the front over the last before drawing clear.

“I’m so lucky to be getting to ride all these kind of horses,” said Blackmore. “I’ve had so many special days. I wouldn’t swap the Grand National for anything, but this is the Gold Cup.”

Winning trainer Henry de Bromhead added: “Rachael was brilliant on him. Rachael was so brave, the way she went about it, it was brilliant.”

The Cheltenham winner’s enclosure has staged many famous celebrations over the years. But there may be scenes like nothing witnessed before if Hewick can complete his remarkable rags-to-riches story by claiming the sport’s ultimate prize.

Seven years ago genial trainer John ‘Shark’ Hanlon, whose larger than life personality is matched by his formidable frame, made the best business decision of his life when leaving the nearby Goresbridge sales ring with an unraced two-year-old for a paltry €850. The rest, as they say, is history.

“The whole story from the start is brilliant, as he only came from down the road. You could travel the whole world to get a horse like him and I got him five minutes down the road,” said Hanlon.

“There are plenty of quality horses slip through the net at the sales and there’s plenty of quality horses go through Goresbridge.

“I know it’s only five minutes down the road, but I would never miss it – you never know where your next bargain is and I like bargains!”

Hewick is no oil painting to look at. Unlike his trainer he cuts a fairly diminutive figure when compared to the jet black reigning Gold Cup hero Galopin Des Champs for instance. But what Hewick can do is gallop hard and fast – and for a long way.

The nine-year-old failed to complete in each of his three starts in the amateur point-to-point sphere, a fairly inauspicious start to say the least, and while he won four times from 21 attempts over hurdles not even Hanlon himself could have anticipated his subsequent meteoric rise.

As if plundering one major handicap in the form of the 2022 bet365 Gold Cup was not enough, he went on to land the Galway Plate and the American Grand National at Far Hills, where the locals probably did not know what had hit them when ‘The Shark’ rolled into town. A bigger boat, indeed.

On their return to Ireland both horse and trainer popped into the local pub for a pint of Guinness – as you do – making headlines both good and bad, although it was all good fun. And he is clearly a hugely popular horse, in an area where Willie Mullins is king.

“Any race we’ve put to him, he’s always there and never let us down,” Hanlon added.

“To have such a consistent horse like him makes such a difference to the yard, there’s a buzz everywhere.

“I was in Bagenalstown there the other day and they were all wishing me well and they’ve got Willie over the road, but they are talking to me, so that’s great.”

After living the American dream Hewick was readied for his first tilt at Gold Cup glory last March. He was running a fine race, too, albeit probably booked for minor honours, when tipping up two fences from home.

Far from that being the final chapter in this extraordinary tale, Hanlon’s pride and joy has only enhanced his reputation since, bouncing back from his Prestbury Park spill with a Grade Two victory at Sandown before finishing an honourable fourth in the French Champion Hurdle.

Hewick’s defence of the Galway Plate during the summer was a little underwhelming, but yet again he roared back over the Christmas period, coming from the clouds to win a thrilling renewal of the King George VI Chase at Kempton, another big-race triumph that was thoroughly enjoyed by his trainer.

He said: “It was absolutely brilliant to win a King George. I knew before leaving here that there was going to be serious pace as there were six runners in it and five were front runners. I remember saying to Gavin (Sheehan) that going down the back he could be 10 lengths off them but not to stop riding him, keep going because your last two furlongs are going to be your best in the race.

“Frodon for the last five years has gone out at 100 miles per hour and I was delighted to see Paul Townend go out and take him on (aboard Allaho). When that was happening they were going too hard.

“We’ve made the running in the Gold Cup last year and in a Galway Plate and he couldn’t lie up with them – that is how hard they were going.”

With connections immediately deciding to give Hewick another break following his King George heroics, he will return to the Cotswolds fresh and seemingly in peak condition as he goes for gold once more.

Just as was the case at Kempton, Hanlon is hopeful that granted suitable conditions no horse will be coming home stronger than Hewick.

“I’ve never seen a Gold Cup yet where there isn’t plenty of pace and the extra two furlongs will be a big, big help for us,” he said.

“He’s not a big horse and he’s easy enough to get fit. After Kempton he had two or three weeks off and he’s back there working now.

“He ran well in the race last year and there is no reason why he won’t run well again in it this year.

“Hopefully this year, with a clear round of jumping, he won’t be too far away.”

If Hewick does come up the famous hill in front, bars across Cheltenham and beyond should ready themselves for a Shark attack so fierce even Jaws would be quaking in his boots.

If your name is Mullins, you must look forward to the Cheltenham Festival like an excited child counting down the sleeps before Christmas morning.

The presents under the tree come in the form of equine superstars, which will not be delivered by Santa Claus but by the most successful trainer in Festival history.

Patrick and Danny Mullins, son and nephew of the all-conquering Willie, were among those good enough to give up their time and speak to the travelling media at The Lord Bagenal in County Carlow, a place of legendary status due to it being the family’s local, where parties start early and finish late.

Patrick said: “The Lord Bagenal is where we’ve always come. I had my 21st here and I imagine we’ll all get married and buried here!

“At my 21st, one fellow fell asleep in the bath two stories up and it dripped down and flooded about three rooms, so he had to pay for that – other than that, it’s just been the usual shenanigans.

“We have our Christmas parties here and it used to be a case of myself and Paul Townend would go straight from here to work, but now we’re out by midnight! Then, I think as you get older, you start staying later again, you can definitely see the passage of time there.

“Willie enjoys bringing people here and drinking them under the table, he has a lot of practice at that!”

Unlike Patrick, Danny is teetotal, but that has not stopped him enjoying a night out at the Bagenal.

He said: “There’s plenty of stories – if the walls could talk! There’s been a few good nights and it’s a good spot for a Mullins party.

“Everyone from near and far, if they’re coming for a day out in Willie’s or Red Mills day or Thyestes day in Gowran, the stopping point is always the Bagenal after that.

“Willie has got plenty of miles on the clock, but he’s still got a good engine!”

Record-breaking amateur Patrick arrived casually dressed in hoodie and jeans, while his younger cousin was suited and booted and sporting a head of hair some of us could only dream of.

The pair’s very public but brief fallout at Limerick in late December appears to be all but forgotten, although Patrick did joke when trading places with Danny on the allocated interview sofa that we were now getting the ‘cut price version’.

Patrick is a major cog in the Mullins machine these days, not only in a riding capacity but also in an assistant trainer role.

He is fully aware that expectations on the team have never been higher after a clean sweep in the eight Grade Ones at the Dublin Racing Festival, and he believes there is every chance his father will get the six winners he needs to reach a remarkable century of Cheltenham Festival winners next month.

“It’s funny, as expectations for us are different to everyone else, which is great,” he said.

“If you get the Champion Chase and the Gold Cup, it’s probably a good result, but if you come home with any less than five winners, you’ll probably be disappointed.

“I’ll never forget the year we had no winner on the Tuesday and no winner on the Wednesday and Douvan got injured. We were sat there on the Wednesday night thinking ‘what’s going on, we’re doing nothing different’, and you’re always worried one year they’re going to blowout.

“With the quantity and quality of the team we bring over, I don’t think six winners would be a funny thing to say.

“To get to 100 Festival winners is not even a dream, it’s not something that ever was possible. Cheltenham is different to what it was when it was three days, so this is a new era, but even with that, it’s one of those things that’s so outlandish it doesn’t feel real.”

One of the features of the new era has been the birth of training partnerships, particularly in Britain, between fathers and sons.

However, when one journalist began raising the possibility of a joint licence being applied for at Closutton, the question had not even been completed when Mullins junior intervened.

He said: “Not a chance – not for diamonds! It works very well as it is, but working with families is a tricky thing.

“Myself and Willie have our own way of working together, but Willie likes calling the shots, so I don’t think that he’d be giving away any power.”

Danny Mullins could hardly be flying higher ahead of his return to the Cotswolds after an opening-day Grade One treble at the Dublin Racing Festival.

None of the trio were the yard’s first string and he will once again be feeding off stable jockey Paul Townend’s scraps at Prestbury Park, but it is a good position to be in nonetheless.

“Knowing where I come from and the team that we’re with, things are definitely going to change. Paul will have his pick again,” he said.

“The Dublin Racing Festival has been very good for me. I suppose the novices are tricky at that time of the season for Paul to get a true read on and come Cheltenham, he normally doesn’t get it wrong, but hopefully we’ll find a way of making him get it wrong at some point!

“The whole team is just so strong and Willie is building year on year. All owners and jockeys know what can happen, Willie does his best with everything, they go to war and the best one comes out on top.

“I won’t know until Paul’s had his pick and Willie sees who he wants to put on the rest of them. Anything can happen, all of Willie’s are going there to do their best and fingers crossed Paul might get it wrong somewhere and I might be the beneficiary of that.”

The Mullins cousins might have contrasting fashion sense, but what they do share is a fervent hunger for more Festival success.

It would be a brave man who bets against one or even both getting to walk into the sport’s most famous winner’s enclosure next week.

Fergal O’Brien has been one of the most upwardly mobile trainers in recent years yet despite racking up the winners, there is one particular itch that he would love to scratch.

O’Brien, who trains locally to Cheltenham, has still to taste success at the four-day Festival and admits the fact he has yet to do so is beginning to annoy him.

However, he is sending his two stable stars to the meeting this year and is happy to take on the Irish battalion with Crambo in the Stayers’ Hurdle and Dysart Enos in the Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle.

Speaking on a press visit to his yard O’Brien said: “I woke up this morning and thought I’ve 25 or 30 people coming, I could do without this on a work day two weeks before Cheltenham, but actually it’s what we do it for.

“We’re really excited. The Cheltenham Festival has been part of my life for the last 30 years and it’s the best week.”

O’Brien has finished second with the likes of Barney Dwan, Cap Soleil, Imperial Alcazar and Alaphilippe, with a couple of those in agonising photographs. But the near-misses have made him even more determined to stand in the hallowed enclosure as a winner.

“We went there two years ago with Imperial Alcazar and Alaphilippe and we’ve had exactly the same prep. We came away from both of those races having finished second, so disappointed they didn’t win, but not disappointed because we’ve had a great run-up to the race and if they get beaten they get beaten.

“All I know is if Crambo and Dysart Enos turn up in the form that they’ve been in since we’ve had them, whatever beats them is going to be a good horse and they deserve to win, so that’s where we are.

“We’ve had four Festival seconds, but I’d rather be finishing second than finishing nowhere. Hopefully we can put it right this year.

“It’s definitely a box that we have to tick and something that we need to do. Hopefully this year will be our year and if it’s not hopefully it will be next year – we’ll keep going.

“We’ve got great facilities, great staff and fantastic owners. I was with Nigel Twiston-Davies for 18 years and I’ve been in the game long enough to know that we’ve got all the ingredients here, we just need the right horse on the right day and hopefully it will be this year on Thursday, March 14!”

O’Brien has had a great ally since starting out on his own in Paddy Brennan, his old mucker from the Twiston-Davies days.

“It would be great for Paddy to ride our first Festival winner, but I think Crambo (who will be ridden by Jonathan Burke) is first and I don’t care which one of them wins!” he said.

“I’d be delighted for Paddy if we could get him a Festival winner, that would actually mean the world to us, to everyone here, he’s been such a big part of Ravenswell growing.

“He’s been a huge part of all of this here and hopefully whenever he decides to retire, I’m hoping he’ll still be a big part of Ravenswell Farm. He’s got a great eye for a horse, he’s an unbelievable race planner and is great with the other jockeys, so fingers crossed there’ll be a role there for him somewhere.”

O’Brien’s has not always been the sole name on the licence, for a short spell he joined forces with fellow trainer Graeme McPherson and the winners flowed. McPherson then went back on his own following an amicable split.

“We had a great time for a couple of years with Graeme and the numbers were there to show it – we had 141 winners last season, but spread over two sites it was very difficult, so it is much better,” said O’Brien.

“We’ve got a new barn here now and it’s fantastic. It works well, we’ve got some great staff and it’s just much easier having it all in the same place.

“When we came here we thought we might have 50 or 60 horses and tip away, but it’s gone well, it’s a great place to train. It’s a very simple routine and it works for us. Fingers crossed long may that last.”