Willie Mullins stable tour: Allaho in ‘great shape’ for third Ryanair tilt; El Fabiolo to return at Cork

A third Ryanair Chase is the ultimate goal for Allaho, who is entered to return in the Clonmel Oil Chase after being given a clean bill of health by Willie Mullins.

The double Cheltenham Festival winner has not been seen since claiming victory at the Punchestown Gold Cup in the spring of 2022 with a rare spleen injury keeping him sidelined for the entire 2022-2023 season.

However, the Closutton master is happy with where he has the nine-year-old ahead of his scheduled return on November 9, with his sights firmly set on a third win at Prestbury Park in the spring.

“Allaho had a very unusual injury last year, I think it was around this time,” Mullins said. “He came back from the gallop showing signs of colic and yet we couldn’t find any colic in him. All his vital signs were fine, but it turned out he had a haemorrhage on his spleen, which is very unusual. I’ve never heard of it before on a horse.

“He’s a huge horse, about the biggest in the yard, and one of the things about big horses is that they can carry weight more easily on longer journeys, but sometimes it makes it difficult to carry their own weight during their career.

“But he’s in top form this year and I’m really happy with him and he’ll probably start in the Clonmel Oil, I think he’s ready for that and hopefully he’ll be back for the Ryanair if we can.

“People might say the Gold Cup but I think the journey is too long for him. He’s good at Cheltenham on that Ryanair trip.”

Back-to-back Gold Cup charge for Galopin Des Champs

It will also be business as usual for Galopin Des Champs, whose quest for back-to-back victories in the Cheltenham Gold Cup begins on November 26 in Punchestown’s John Durkan Memorial Chase.

The seven-year-old was an emphatic 13-length winner of the race last season and Mullins has no problem with the race’s new place on the calendar as part of the two-day Kildare Winter Festival.

“I’m happy enough (with him) and I know the John Durkan this year is a week closer to the start of the season, which is probably better and I guess we’ll go there,” Mullins added.

“I imagine I’ll try to do what I did with him last year and keep the same routine. He’ll head over there and hopefully he’ll be fine and then Christmas at Leopardstown, then the Dublin Racing Festival and then on to Cheltenham and Punchestown.”

El Fabiolo aims to continue his Champion Chase dominance

With two-time Champion Chase winner Energumene out of action, it may be left to El Fabiolo to attempt to continue Closutton’s dominance in the two-mile chase division.

The first port of call for last year’s impressive Arkle winner will be filling the boots of Energumene in Cork’s Hilly Way Chase before connections set sail for the Champion Chase in March.

Mullins said: “He’s our replacement for Energumene at this stage. I think he’ll start on the Hilly Way, I think that’s the place to go. Then plan a route to Cheltenham.”

Also making an appearance will be plucky frontrunner Dysart Dynamo, who could contest Naas’ Barberstown Castle Poplar Square Chase on November 12.

“Dysart Dynamo’s skill seems to lie in the fact that he can jump and gallop from the start and for that he probably needs a good surface,” said Mullins.

“I think he’s a Poplar Square chaser, start him at Naas and we’ll take the two-mile route with him for the rest of the season I think.”

Blue Lord is another player who could make his mark in the two-mile division this season, although he will join Allaho in Clonmel to start his campaign.

Mullins continued: “Blue Lord is another contender for the Clonmel Oil Chase. He was very impressive at Leopardstown over two miles, but we know he will stay for two and a half. I don’t think I want to go much further with him.

“So he will do the two to two and a half mile route. Champion Chase, Ryanair Chase is the kind of race we will look at and we will see where he puts himself after a few races. We will do that.” starting at the Clonmel Oil and then going back to that race at Christmas that he won last season.”

Sir Gerhard was able to return to hurdles

Sir Gerhard will return with Chase on the agenda, but his handler is prepared to switch to the smaller hurdles mid-season if things don’t go to plan and he could potentially become a Stayers’ Hurdle contender in the spring.

Mullins explained: “He won well the first day and I think he jumped poorly enough after that. He just got beaten in the WillowWarm Gold Cup at Fairyhouse, he jumped well I think that day and just got beaten.

“We wondered if he hasn’t stayed and his pedigree suggests he should stay much further. He’s a horse that I think if I can get his jump right he should stay over fences.

“I’m not sure which trip, at one point I thought he might be a Champion Hurdle horse when he won his first hurdle at Leopardstown and then we took him out because he wasn’t jumping well enough. We know that he has the ability to jump well when he wants to.

“What we could do is that if things don’t go well over the fences at the beginning of the season, I might be able to swap him as a permanent hurdler. That’s how I look at him, but I prefer to stay over the fences. if I can get him to jump well.”

Gold Cup entry for monkfish

Also looming with a short hurdle event is Monkfish, who appears to be over the worst of his injury concerns, with his trainer even speculating that a Gold Cup entry could be on the cards.

“I was really pleased with how he came out of the season with his two runs and he is in great form at the canter,” said Mullins.

“I imagine I’ll put him over hurdles just to get a run under his belt and then I hope to get back into the chase, that’s the plan anyway.

“So far so good and his health problems have not been a problem this season. Who knows, he might get a Gold Cup participation if all goes well.”

One who is still very much on the road to recovery, however, is Ferny Hollow, with Mullins eyeing a back-end return if the former Champion Bumper winner goes racing this season.

“Ferny is making very slow progress. We weren’t very happy with him at all last spring and we decided to release him for the summer and the reports are a lot better now that we have more time,” he explained.

“I hope we just give him all the time he wants, he’s too good a horse to put aside at this stage.

“I don’t think we’re going to make a plan for him this season. It will certainly be the end of the season, but I wouldn’t put him in one of the next 10 spots or anything like that.”

Meanwhile, all roads lead back to Aintree for last year’s Grand National third Gaillard Du Mesnil. “He seems the obvious horse to go through for the Aintree Grand National,” said Mullins.

“I’m wondering which way to go with him and I know I want to get a few more runs against him this year. Whether I start him over hurdles or fences, the Aintree National will be the main target and I have no plan. made for him at this stage. But he might have three or four runs before the big one.”