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- Preview punchestown 29th Apr
Preview punchestown 29th Apr
The National Hunt season reaches its climax on Saturday and with the race for the trainers' title going down to the wire, Gordon Elliott and Willie Mullins are responsible for six of the seven runners in the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Mares Champion Hurdle.
In Annie Power's absence, Mullins relies on his Cheltenham Festival heroine Let's Dance last year's scorer Whiteout, and Grade One winners Augusta Kate and Airlie Beach.
Leading Elliott's team is the former Mullins-trained Apple's Jade, who saw off a couple of classy customers from Closutton in Vroum Vroum Mag and Limini to land the Mares' Hurdle at Prestbury Park.
The championship rivals also appear to have the other Grade One, the AES Champion Four Year Old Hurdle, between them.
The score between Elliott's Mega Fortune and Mullins' Bapaume currently stands at two-all and this should help decide who is the best juvenile in Ireland.
Mulllins throws eight arrows, plus a reserve, at the valuable Ballymore Handicap Hurdle, with Elliott saddling just the five, although he has a leading chance in the Three.ie Handicap Chase through Bless The Wings, who hit the crossbar for the second year running in the Irish National.
Colin Tizzard has enjoyed an excellent Festival and is represented by top-weight Sizing Codelco in the Palmerstown House Pat Taaffe Handicap Chase.
The former Henry de Bromhead inmate struck at Aintree on Grand National day but is 11lb higher.
Mullins runs Retour En France and The Crafty Butcher, with Elliott sending Space Cadet.
The action gets under way at 2.35 with the Dooley Insurances Cross Country Chase, in which Tuesday's winner Enniskillen and stablemate Mtada Supreme, who took this last year but ran out here on Thursday, aren't as fresh as another Peter Maher runner in Ballyboker Bridge or the Enda Bolger-trained Colour Squadron.
Jamie Codd appears to have the amateur jockeys' crown in the bag and partners The Shearers Wife for Elliott in the Attheraces.com (Pro/Am) Flat Race.