Mullins has it all to do to retain trainers’ championship

Willie Mullins is adopting a "what will happen will happen" attitude to the task of bridging the gap to Gordon Elliott in the race for the trainers' championship.

Champion for the last ten years, Mullins is an 11-4 outsider to successfully make up a deficit of more than €550,000 to Elliott by the end the season at Punchestown later this month.

Last year’s championship went down to the wire at Ireland’s National Hunt festival with Mullins ultimately winning by just less than €200,000.

However Elliott’s Irish National victory with General Principle on Easter Monday – beating Mullins’s Isleofhopendreams by a head – helped the challenger extend the lead he has held for much of the campaign.

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Elliott’s haul of €4,605,926 looks like being very difficult to beat and he is now a 2-7 favourite with Powers to land the title for the first time.

Despite the Irish National loss Mullins said on Tuesday: “We had a good Fairyhouse and we will have a good team going to Punchestown. We will try to win what we can and after that what will happen will happen.”

Before that the National Hunt focus will switch to next week’s Grand National festival in Liverpool with Mullins’s Total Recall a 10-1 favourite in some lists to win the world’s most famous steeplechase.

Bellshill, who finished fourth in Monday’s Irish National only to be subsequently placed fifth after a stewards enquiry, is also prominent in ante-post betting.

But Mullins appeared to indicate he won’t be part of a National trio he currently plans on sending to Aintree.

“All’s good with Total Recall. Pleasant Company will probably go too, and Children’s List as well. That looks like it at the moment,” he said.

The Arkle hero Footpad will also be among Mullins’s Aintree raiding party with the two-mile Maghull Novice Chase the likely target.

“I would imagine he will for the two mile race although he will be entered for the two and a half mile [Manifesto Novice Chase] as well,” Mullins said.

The final day of Fairyhouse’s Easter festival was cancelled after 10mms of overnight rain hit the track.

Whether or not Ireland’s next scheduled National Hunt fixture at Wexford on Friday can go ahead could depend on the course passing a 2.00 inspection on Wednesday afternoon. The track is partially waterlogged.

Navan is due to host a flat card on Saturday but is unraceable at present due to waterlogging after 28mms of rain fell over the weekend.