Ha D'Or the highlight of Willie Mullins's runners this week
Trainer Willie Mullins Photo: ©INPHO/Morgan Treacy
It is a fairly quiet week coming up for the Closutton team of Willie Mullins as he has just three horses entered for racing the rest of this week as the cold snap hits Ireland and Britain.
Talk of Mullins' yard being below par in recent weeks what emphatically dashed at the Leopardstown Christmas Festival and he had a decent weekend at Naas recently as the likes of Ile Atlantique, Joystick and Fun Fun Fun were all victorious on Saturday, while Supersundae was a gutsy second in the Grade 1 Lawlor's Of Naas Hurdle behind the mightily impressive The Yellow Clay.
The week on the horizon looks a lot more calm for Mullins and his team but he certainly holds plenty of chances with runners in both Ireland and Scotland this weekend that can be seen live on Racing TV, who will be offering the latest Cheltenham free bets at March's Festival.
Ha D'Or, fifth in the Arkle at the 2023 Cheltenham Festival, is entered to run at Fairyhouse on Saturday in the Grade 3 Handicap Chase at 1.42 where he could line up alongside recent Grade 1 winner Solness from the Joseph O'Brien yard and Grade 2 winning American Mike from the Gordon Elliott team.
Hunters Yarn is also entered in the same race as Ha D'Or, well beaten when last seen finishing sixth of eight behind stablemate Energumene in the Hilly Way Chase at Cork on December 8 but has good from at Fairyhouse, winning a beginners chase at the track at this meeting last year.
Over the other side of the water, Mullins could send Chart Topper to Kelso for its Chairman's Cup Raceday on Sunday.
Chart Topper has entries in two novice hurdle contests in what would be just his fifth run for the Mullins team. He arrives at Kelso in good form however, having been victorious when last seen back in August 2024 when scoring at Downpatrick in a maiden hurdle race and placed in his two prior runs before that to boot.
