Nap of the Day: Espresso too strong for Thurles rivals

There are three meetings across Britain and Ireland on Sunday afternoon, all over jumps.

Day three of the Berkshire Winter Million meeting is at Windsor, while Fakenham and Thurles also race, with the Grade 2 Horse & Jockey Hotel Chase the feature contest from Ireland. Our pick won first time out for Willie Mullins this season, something of a rarity, and is fancied to go in again for the champion trainer. Read on for our Nap of the Day for Sunday.

13:10 Thurles Odds

It hasn't been the sort of season we come to expect from Willie Mullins, at least not so far, but the Closutton powerhouse is showing signs that his string is ready to move through the gears.

Mullins entered the weekend boasting a 35 per-cent strike-rate from his most recent 40 runners, with 14 winners on the board across the preceding fortnight.

That run included a five-timer at Fairyhouse on Wednesday afternoon as the likes of Bambino Fever, Port Joulain and The Wager landed the odds.

Owner Stewart Andrew is new to the Mullins yard. His gelding ESPRESSO MILAN contested a trio of bumpers last season when trained by Fergal O'Brien.

He was second at Market Rasen in February on his second racecourse start and ran a solid race when seventh of 22 at Punchestown in May.

He made the stable switch over the summer and debuted for Mullins by winning a Punchestown maiden hurdle (2m, soft to heavy) in December, staying on best for Paul Townend to get the better of stablemate Blue Velvet, with the Gordon Elliott-trained Newbrook Diamond behind in third.

That rival gave the form a decent nod recently when second to Future Prospect in maiden company at Naas over the same trip.

It was his stamina that ultimately won the day for Espresso Milan at Punchestown over the minimum trip and so stepping up an extra six-furlongs doesn't hold any fears.

The Mullins camp have won three of the last five runnings of the W.T. O'Grady & E.J. O'Grady Memorial Irish EBF Novice Hurdle and can extend that excellent record now.

So many runners representing the champion trainer this season have been beaten first time out, and most from the yard are improving for a run.

It's therefore a major positive in the ledger that this stable newcomer was able to defy his 223-day break to win on his comeback/hurdles bow.

His half-sister Eabha Grace was a Grade 3-winning novice hurdler over 2m6f for the yard and so this looks a logical next step before he likely has some graded ambitions of his own later in the spring.

This is no penalty kick, with fellow last-time-out hurdles scorers Sept Etoiles, American Jukebox (both Gordon Elliott) and Long Branch (Seamus Neville) sure to go well and Emmet Mullins' Minella Emperor capable of better, but the champion trainer may land the spoils in this contest once more.

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