Will Mullins dominate the DRF again?
Paul Townend with Galopin Des Champs, Jodie Townend with State Man alongside trainer Willie Mullins at the launch of the Dublin Racing Festival at the Closutton stables Photo: ©INPHO/Morgan Treacy
The Dublin Racing Festival, or simply the DRF, takes centre stage this weekend as the elite of Irish National Hunt racing descends on Leopardstown for two days of breathtaking action.
Eight grade ones over two days where Cheltenham Festival dreams will either be crushed or live long for another six weeks.
But everyone wants to know who will stop Willie Mullins from replicating last season's clean sweep of Grade 1s.
Last year, the Closutton juggernaut took all eight grade ones, with the highlight being Galopin Des Champs' dominant victory in the Irish Gold Cup.
But can he repeat the feat this year?
Gordon Elliot, Henry de Bromhead, and Gavin Cromwell, to name a few, will set out with the aim of putting a stop to Willie Mullins's stranglehold on the Dublin Racing Festival.
Still, they will have their work cut out for them, with Willie Mullins already having Galopin Des Champs, Lossiemouth, Gaelic Warrior, Ballyburn, and Majborough, all odds-on for their respective races this weekend, and that is before we take into consideration that he has the favourite for all bar one of the Grade 1 novice hurdles.
What is there to put an end to the Willie Mullins stranglehold?
Gordon Elliott looks best equipt to put up the most significant resistance with Touch Me Not, his main hope in the Irish Arkle, as well as Better Days Ahead in the Ladbrokes Novice Chase and Romeo Coolo in the Irish Novice Hurdle as his standout runners in the Grade 1 contests.
The Waterford native Henry de Bromhead may lack the superstars of yesteryears as A Plus Tard, and Honeysuckle are happily retired, and Minella Indo is well past his prime.
However, he still has the reigning Champion Chaser in Captain Guinness, who is looking to get his season back on track in the Dublin Chase against Gaelic Warrior. If he were to return to his brilliant best, we could see the Captain again dining at the top table.
Further up north, Gavin Cromwell, the former blacksmith who has become a top trainer, comes here this week with his strongest team to date.
Hello Neighbour, the only horse in the Grade 1s to keep a Willie Mullins-trained horse off the top of the market, looks to have outstanding credentials to make it two from two over hurdles.
Meanwhile, recent Paddy Power Chase winner Perceval Legallois and Inothewayurthinking will support him as Cromwell looks to bag more big race wins.
But, when all is said and done, will that be enough to match, let alone dethrone the master of Closutton?
We are lucky to be in an era where top-class clashes come one after another.
We have some mouthwatering novice races to look forward to, as well as two top-class prospects in the bumpers, but what are the races we are all looking forward to seeing this weekend?
There is no secret here with the class of Galopin Des Champs, but when we have a champion such as him, we need to appreciate him while he is around.
Many will flock to Leopardstown on the first Saturday of February to catch a glimpse of the two-time Gold Cup hero before he sets off to Cheltenham to try to become only the fifth horse to win three Cheltenham Gold Cups.
But, his old foe, Fact To File, may have something to say about that.
Having gotten the better of the Gold Cup hero in the Grade 1 John Durkan Chase at Punchestown at the start of the season, many expected that we would see the changing of the guard in the Savills Chase over course and distance in December.
But like last season, Galopin Des Champs silenced his doubters with a dominant display from the front, leaving Fact To File over seven lengths behind him, cementing himself as a generational superstar.
Team Fact To File will need to try something different this weekend, or they will be staring at the jaws of defeat once again.
Cheltenham trials day loss is the Dublin Racing Festivals gain as Lossiemouth looks set to lock horns with reigning Champion Hurdler State Man and the mare who put him to the sword in the Neville Hotel Hurdle, Brighterdaysahead.
There has been so much talk that this is the year that Constitution Hill looks beatable, and if either of them is to get the better of Constitution Hill in the Champion Hurdle, one needs to step up to the plate this weekend and lay down a serious marker.
Arguably, Brighterdaysahead has already achieved that feat, but Lossiemouth needs to leave her Kempton run behind her, where she found Constitution Hill two lengths too good in the Christmas Hurdle. At the same time, State Man must bounce back from a rare underperformance at Leopardstown behind Brighterdaysahead.
Should all three line up at the start on Sunday, we will be about to witness a race for the ages, with one leaving with a target firmly set on Nicky Henderson's hurdling superstar.
