Plumpton, which raced on Sunday, joined the list after a second inspection. Elliott has a healthy lead of around €450,000 over Mullins after the first day of the Easter Festival at Fairyhouse, when Mullins’s Al Boum Photo edged out his rival’s Shattered Love by a length in the Ryanair Gold Cup. He is also due to saddle a record 13 runners in the National on Monday, while Mullins must content himself with just four contenders for a first prize of €270,000. The Thyestes Chase winner is chasing a four-timer, will love the heavy ground and has a very obvious chance, while Pairofbrowneyes (9-1) and Bellshill (11-1), Mullins’s main hopes, are two of the next three names in the betting. At around 9-1, he is a fair bet to give both trainer and jockey their first wins in Ireland’s most valuable and prestigious handicap chase.

Source: The Guardian April 02, 2018 10:58 UTC