Bellshill© Photo Healy Racing
Bellshill bids to throw down the gauntlet to Yanworth in the Deloitte Novice Hurdle at Leopardstown on Saturday.
The Willie Mullins-trained six-year-old has won each of his three starts over hurdles so far this season, completing his hat-trick in Grade One company at Naas last month.
Mullins has already confirmed the Neptune Investment Management Novices' Hurdle as his likely target at the Cheltenham Festival, a race for which he is currently second-favourite behind Alan King's Yanworth, who blew his rivals away at Prestbury Park last weekend.
The champion trainer's son and assistant, Patrick Mullins, said: " Bellshill seems to have improved a lot from last season. Going jumping seems to have helped him and he looks to have got quicker as well.
"When I rode him in bumpers he was a galloper, but he has a turn of foot now and Ruby (Walsh) was very happy with him when he rode him earlier in the week.
"I thought Yanworth was very impressive at Cheltenham last weekend. He must be a very good horse to do what he did to those good horses. We're hoping for a big performance from our fellow on Saturday, but I think whatever he does, he'll be a better horse in March."
Mullins has saddled the last three winners of this two-and-a-quarter-mile contest, with subsequent Supreme Novices' Hurdle winners Champagne Fever and Vautour striking gold before Nichols Canyon was victorious 12 months ago.
Bellshill is one of three runners for the all-conquering team in this year's renewal and while he is clearly the stable's number one hope, Mullins junior believes both Petit Mouchoir and Bleu Et Rouge should not be discounted after finishing third and fourth respectively behind stable companion Long Dog over Christmas.
"The other two are very good horses as well. They're maybe not as sexy as Bellshill and for that reason I think they've gone under the radar," said Mullins.
"Bleu Et Rouge ran a huge race at Christmas. It was a messy race and there were a few hard-luck stories, but I think he was more inconvenienced by the way the race was run than any of them. They should go a good gallop and he should improve, so it wouldn't surprise me at all to see him in the shake-up.
"Petit Mouchoir ran very well at Christmas as well for Jacques Ricou, who loved him. He's quite a keen horse and a stronger gallop would definitely suit him. I think all three horses are up to winning this race, to be honest, so it will be interesting to see what happens."
Both Petit Mouchoir and Bleu Et Rouge have ground to make up on Gordon Elliott's Tombstone who was runner-up to Long Dog in December.
Jockey Bryan Cooper told At The Races: "Things didn't go according to plan at Leopardstown at Christmas, but once he settles, he's a horse we think has a serious engine. It's going to be a competitive race and there'll be no hiding places."
