Champion Bumper: 2m, Wednesday, March 16, 5:30pm
Key stat: The last 12 winners all won on their previous start
The Brits posted a 1-2-3-4 last season but the overall score is 17-6 in favour of the Irish-trained horses.
Willie Mullins has been responsible for eight of the 17 winners from the Emerald Isle but there are two points to note: a) when he’s saddled just one runner he’s won the race four times and b) three of the other four times when he won with more than one contender, it was his second or third string in the betting that delivered.
The last 12 winners won on their previous start and only two out of 23 winners were beaten last time out.
Frustratingly for favourite backers, nine horses sent off as the ‘jolly’ in this race have finished second.
Although bumpers are all about potential it is worth noting that four of the last 13 winners were top-rated by the BHA.
No one race stands out as an obvious guide but six winners ran at the prestigious four-day Leopardstown Christmas Meeting where Willie Mullins’ entrants Bacardys and Lucky Pass were both successful last Christmas.