Racing tips: Outlander to lead Willie Mullins charge

Simonsig takes on Vautour in one of the highlights of the opening day at Punchestown. Picture: Getty

Mullins sends a ridiculously good team to the County Kildare knees-up and must seriously fancy his chances of a number of winners on the opening day.

Yorkhill looks a good thing in the Herald Champion Novice Hurdle, but perhaps Outlander offers punters a bit more value in the Growise Champion Novice Chase.

The high-class novice has National hero Rule The World to worry about, but the fellow Gigginstown House Stud runner is taken to come out on top.

Outlander is already a Grade One scorer, having struck at Leopardstown in February, but he had no luck in the JLT Novices’ Chase at Cheltenham. Little went right for the eight-year-old, who ended up falling four fences from home when still in a decent pitch.

Outlander took quite a hefty fall at Cheltenham, so it was probably not that big a shock that he was slightly off-key in the Ryanair Gold Cup Novice Chase at Fairyhouse, in which he still did well enough to finish second. And having resisted the advances of Aintree, Mullins should have him back at fever pitch.

Though he steps up to just over three miles for the first time in his career, everything Outlander has done over fences tends to suggest this sort of trip will be just the ticket.

Nicky Henderson’s genius handling of Sprinter Sacre surely gives Simonsig’s supporters plenty of hope in the BoyleSports Champion Chase.

Even so, it is still tough to imagine the grey being able to live with a fully wound-up Vautour. His dramatic fall at Aintree probably cost Mullins the trainers’ title, but that was a one-off lapse in concentration rather than any deep-rooted frailties.

That he was rerouted to the Ryanair Chase at Cheltenham, which he won in cigar mode, has been the subject of endless discussion. But if, indeed, he was not completely fit that day, there is obviously scope for limitless progress.

BATH

1.40 Funny Oyster

2.10 Duke Of North (nap)

2.45 Kreb’s Cycle

3.20 Life Less Ordinary

3.55 Jive Time

4.30 Subordinate

5.05 Smiley Bagel

BRIGHTON

1.50 Sheila’s Lad

2.20 Fitzwilliam

2.55 Tears Of The Sun

3.30 Lady Kyllar

4.05 Born To Finish

4.40 Good Luck Charm

5.15 Senor George

LINGFIELD

4.35 Easydoesit

5.10 Decadent Times

5.40 D’Niro

6.15 Attain

6.50 Easy Tiger

7.25 Aragon Knight

7.55 First Experience

NOTTINGHAM

2.00 Archimento

2.35 Berkeley Vale

3.05 La Superba

3.35 Norse Magic

4.10 Angel Grace

4.45 Caged Lightning

5.20 First Bombardment

PUNCHESTOWN

3.40 Be Positive

4.20 Yorkhill

4.55 Copy That

5.30 Vautour

6.05 Jenkins

6.40 Outlander

7.15 Art Of Supremacy

WOLVERHAMPTON

5.55 Mr Red Clubs

6.30 King Cole

7.05 Broughtons Fancy

7.40 Hakam

8.10 Planetoid

8.40 Knights Table

9.10 Little Choosey

DOUBLE

Outlander

6.40 Punchestown

Vautour

5.30 Punchestown