Horse Racing: Gold Cup bid for Willie Mullins chaser

Willie Mullins is keeping all the options open for his exciting young chaser Mikael D'Haguenet following his promising comeback run at Fairyhouse.

The County Carlow trainer will enter the six-year-old for several races at the Cheltenham Festival, including the totesport Gold Cup.

The 2009 Ballymore Novices' Hurdle winner fell at the final fence when holding every chance in the Drinmore Novices' Chase on Wednesday, his debut run over fences in Ireland and his first race in over 19 months.

"He'll be entered in everything at Cheltenham. He won the Ballymore over two miles and five (furlongs) there, but he has plenty of speed over two," Mullins told At The Races.

"After two five I'm not sure where we go. The RSA is three mile one and the Gold Cup is three mile two and that's another ball game.

"We've never been worried about him staying. He's one of those horses that can change gear and go with faster horses as well. He appears to have retained his ability and that's a huge question he answered the other day.

"It was good enough he jumped well, but when a horse has been off for so long you often wonder whether they come back as good.

"I'm looking at the entries for Christmas. He's in the two-mile novice (Bord Na Mona With Nature Novice Chase] on St Stephen's Day and he's in the three-mile novice later in the week.

"We might consider giving him another week and come back for a beginners' chase or a Listed or Graded chase somewhere. He appears to have come out of the race well and has been ridden out the last couple of days."

Meanwhile, Freddie Tylicki is back riding out in Malton as his return to action from a major shoulder injury draws closer. The champion apprentice of 2009 missed the majority of the Turf season after a fall at Musselburgh in June and needed pins in his shoulder which he dislocated and fractured.