Nap of the Day: It’s Willie’s world…

...and we're all just living in it! Mullins, who saddled the 1-2-3 in the Grand National and became Champion Trainer in the UK for the second year running already this month, picked up two of three Grade 1s on Day 1 of the Punchestown Festival and looks set for more joy at the top level on Wednesday.

My Nap of the Day is, of course, a Closutton inmate bidding to follow up last month's Cheltenham Festival success.

I'll be very disappointed if dual-Cheltenham Festival hero JASMIN DE VAUX can't complete a Grade 1 hat-trick at Punchestown on Wednesday.

The Willie Mullins-trained six-year-old, who dons the 'double green' silks of Simon Munir & Isaac Souede, followed up last year's Champion Bumper triumph in the Albert Bartlett on the same stage last month, and now heads to County Kildare facing what I consider a significantly-easier assignment.

It's fair to say this is far from a vintage renewal of the three-mile novice hurdle that's been won by the likes of Minella Indo and Galopin Des Champs - two Gold Cup winners - in the past.

Six of the eight runners for this year's race are rated between 131-138 and the other two - the selection and Gordon Elliott's Honesty Policy - are the only ones boasting a victory at the highest level.

The latter's came in the Mersey Novices' Hurdle at Aintree's Grand National Festival earlier this month, which as far as I'm concerned was another weak Grade 1. That being said, he beat what was in front of him and did give the impression that another step up in trip would suit, so he rates the main danger.

His stablemate Cardcounter is next in the betting, which hammers home my point about the strength of opposition. He was near enough all out to beat the 120-rated Blue Mosque in a standard novice event last time out and more is required on Wednesday.

Similar comments apply to Mullins' other runner, Jarrive De Mee. He arrives after a couple of straightforward victories in Britain - Catterick and Haydock to be specific - and this represents a huge step up in class. It's impossible to gauge how good he is, but if Mullins thought he was a Grade 1 horse I highly doubt he'd have been campaigned as he has this term.

Familiar Dreams won a mares' Grade 3 earlier in the season but the form of that and her other victories is nothing more than okay, so I find her hard to advise - Luckinthecity too. I wouldn't be surprised if Fleur In The Park or Argento Boy upset the odds, though it's admittedly hard to envisage going on recent form.

Jasmin De Vaux hasn't been straightforward to follow this term, particularly in the jumping department. He won on hurdles debut in spite of a poor round and his heavy defeat in the Lawlor's was largely down to problems getting from A to B.

That was less of an issue in the Nathaniel Lacy at the Dublin Racing Festival in February, but he was still beaten a long way - and then he looked a completely different horse at Cheltenham. He did everything right at HQ and won fairly easily in the end.

Anywhere near a replication of that effort ought to be enough to land this €73k prize. But, as we saw with Kopek Des Bordes and Ballyburn on Tuesday, it's not always that simple.

Get a 10% winnings boost on your win single bet if your selection wins this race. T&Cs apply.

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