Indeed, his winner at Naas on Sunday, Love Sign d’Aunou, shot straight to the top of the ante-post market for the Champion Bumper, following a commanding display. The five-year-old is by Goliath du Berlais, a Grade 1-winning chaser who enjoyed success as a sire in this sphere towards the back end of last season. A Points winner on good-to-yielding ground, he beat Gin Tonic (winner of a Wexford maiden hurdle for Paul Nolan and now rated 124, following a second at Fairyhouse in late-November) on that occasion and relished the deeper ground at Naas.

Always prominent under Patrick Mullins, he galloped the opposition into the ground over 2m2½f and although he was only beating a seven-year-old into second, the third-placed horse had run well on debut, and it was difficult not to be impressed by the manner of success. Jasmin de Vaux won the same Naas bumper before landing the Champion Bumper in 2024 and Love Sign d’Aunou looks sure to form part of a typically strong Mullins assault on the race.

Earlier in the month, Quiryn was another Mullins-trained winner at Naas, the son of French Flat stallion Sottsass winning the opening four-year-old bumper of the year by 9 lengths. Ridden patiently, he eased between horses early in the home straight and was still on the bridle when hitting the front. Pushed out, he picked up well to beat Apache Peak, who had chased home Minella Yoga in an academy hurdle before the winner moved to the UK, where he won an introductory hurdle on his first start for Paul Nicholls and has since finished third in the Grade 2 Finesse Juvenile Hurdle on trials day.

A half-brother to Trapista (a useful mare for Jonjo & AJ O’Neill, who won both over hurdles and fences), he is also related to several Flat winners, including Mille et Mille, winner of the Group 1 Prix du Cadran over 2m4f, so he is bred to stay well. In training as a three-year-old in France, he is possibly more forward than your standard four-year-old, which is worth factoring into the equation, given the poor record of such youngsters at the Festival. The last four-year-old winner of the Champion Bumper was Cue Card and such runners have a record of 1-93 during the past 29 renewals (more of this negative trend is detailed in the soon to be published Cheltenham Festival Betting Guide).

Quiryn represents owner Margaret Masterson, who was responsible for the Champion Bumper runner-up three times in four years between 2018 and 2021; Carefully Selected, Appreciate It and Kilcruit.

Runner-up in his sole start between the flags, the Poet’s Word gelding The Irish Avatar created a particularly good impression at Navan recently, another to score by 9 lengths. Another who made all, the Gigginstown House Stud-owned five-year-old came wide up the home straight, but was always in command and only had to be pushed out to win with plenty in hand.

Whilst there might not have been as much substance to the form (the 4^th placed had finished a long way behind Touch The Clouds, who then finished 27l off Love Sign d’Aunou), there was a lot to like about the performance from a visual perspective and the winner looks to have lots of size and scope about him. Out of the smart race mare Dinaria des Obeaux (Grade 3 winner over hurdles and a Grade 2 winner over fences), he boasts a nice pedigree and is another who is likely to travel to Cheltenham on the back of just one Rules start.

In recent years, it has paid to focus on those with the stronger (Graded or Listed) form in the book and it could be that Bentraghhill represents Mullins in this weekend’s Grade 2 at the Dublin Racing Festival. The sole entry from the yard, the Getaway five-year-old – who is a half-brother to smart mare Party Central (three-time Listed winner for Gordon Elliott) – won at Leopardstown over Christmas, where he picked up well, despite having raced keenly in the hands of Jody Townend.

The third-placed Lemmy Caution gives that form a relatively solid feel and we should learn plenty more about his Festival prospects in Saturday’s Future Stars Bumper, a race which was won by Envoi Allen, Facile Vega and A Dream To Share before they each won the Cheltenham contest. Bentraghhill’s Point-to-Point form reads fairly well (without being outstanding), with the front two having won over hurdles, although both have been beaten since.

His potential opposition at the weekend includes both It’s Only A Game and Charismatic Kid. The former featured in my pre-Christmas post and the form of his reappearance success at Punchestown was given a boost over the Festive period, when the runner-up won a Down Royal bumper by 18 lengths. Another by Goliath du Berlais, Martin Brassil’s five-year-old clearly handles testing ground and looks to be another leading contender for the upcoming Grade 2.

Charismatic Kid won on debut for Colm Ryan, but has since changed hands for £300,000 and will represent Gordon Elliott and Gigginstown House Stud for the first time, should he take his chance in the Grade 2. Another successful on deep ground, that Navan form was franked on New Year’s Day when the fourth (also representing the Elliott/Gigginstown axis) won at Fairyhouse, although the third (Touch The Clouds) was beaten much further by Love Sign d’Aunou. Whoever wins Saturday’s contest will likely find themselves towards the head of the Champion Bumper market.

Back to Mullins briefly and another recent winner to note moving forward would be Our Trigger, a full-brother to Gaelic Warrior who beat three rivals on heavy ground at Gowran Park on Thyestes Chase day. Despite being bumped on the home bend, the Maxios four-year-old won with a bit to spare, although it is difficult to be too conclusive of the level of form achieved. The runner-up had played up in the preliminaries, whilst the third was beaten 38 lengths, having finished 33 lengths off Quiryn on debut. The aforementioned record of four-year-olds would be a negative, should he head across the Irish Sea to Cheltenham.

Gordon Elliott stated in a recent interview that he was happy to bypass the DRF with Keep Him Company, who instead heads straight to Cheltenham on the back of a short break. A Points winner back in March, he beat a couple of stable companions at Fairyhouse before confirming his ability to handle better ground at Leopardstown over Christmas. He again found plenty, finishing strongly to beat Passenger, who had earlier finished third in Listed company. A strong stayer, soft ground would likely enhance his claims at the Festival.

In the same colours as Savills Chase winner Affordale Fury, The Mourne Rambler is another winner to note from Leopardstown’s Christmas fixture, the son of Well Chosen successful on Rules debut for Noel Meade. Runner-up in a four-year-old maiden at Portrush in October, he came up the nearside rail to beat several well-touted rivals. The proximity of the third-placed Premier Division would suggest that there isn’t much between him and Keep Him Company at this stage.

Domestically, Chris Gordon’s headstrong Bass Hunter – another who featured in the initial Road To The Champion Bumper feature – remains the shortest-priced in the ante-post market and is in fact the only British-trained runner at odds shorter than 25/1. He was due to run at Windsor recently but was declared a non-runner due to being cast in his box. The five-year-old is now reportedly being prepared for the Listed race at Newbury on Saturday week, where he will be forced to carry a 4lb penalty for his Ascot success in the same grade.

The runner-up from Ascot was beaten further in the Windsor race which Bass Hunter was forced to miss, so more will be required, as here turns to a course on which he made a taking Rules debut back in early-November. Clearly very talented, he needs to race more professionally (as stated last month) if he is to fulfil his potential.

Newbury could also be an option for David Pipe’s No Walkover, who travelled really strongly en route to winning by a narrow margin at Chepstow. He was beaten just a neck by Cristal d’Estruval (won both starts over hurdles for Harry Derham and was rated 132 before being ruled out for the remainder of the season through injury) in an Irish Point and the form of his Chepstow success has since worked out well. The runner-up was successful at Fontwell on Boxing Day, whilst the fourth-placed St James’s Finest won the Windsor race in which Tally Ho Back (beaten a length by Bass Hunter at Ascot) finished last of six.

The Pipe-trained son of Poet’s Word also won on Boxing Day, successfully carrying a penalty to victory at Aintree. I was on course that day and, physically, he impressed in the prelims and his performance backed up that impression. Still quite green, he will hopefully improve with experience and although that Aintree form wouldn’t appear to be overly strong, the Chepstow race was obviously a good contest and his Point-to-Point form reads very well, considering the horses who Cristal d’Estruval beat in a maiden hurdle at Warwick.

We should learn plenty over the next couple of weekends, with Leopardstown staging those brace of Grade 2 contests (mares’ race takes place on Sunday) and Newbury hosting what is often a competitive Listed event.

For now, enjoy the action and for information purpose, entries for the Weatherbys Champion Bumper close at noon on Tuesday 24^th February.

Paul.

‍