Lossiemouth is out to maintain her unbeaten record in the Donohue Marquees Spring Juvenile Hurdle at Leopardstown on Saturday.
She heads a six-strong Willie Mullins team that also includes interesting French recruit Gust Of Wind, Jourdefete, Tekao, Cinsa and Gala Marceau, with Brendan Duke's hurdling debutant Darraby and Henry de Bromhead’s Ascending also in the mix.
Vauban won the race 12 months ago and went on to follow up at Cheltenham in the Triumph Hurdle, sporting the same pink and green Rich Ricci silks as Lossiemouth.
Mullins said: "Everyone knows Lossiemouth. She won in Fairyhouse and won at Christmas in Leopardstown.
"People are not so much aware of Gust Of Wind, who won a very good race in Auteuil. We managed to get him and gave him a little break and he’s coming back now.
"Hopefully he’s up to this standard, I think he is."
Day one of the Dublin Racing Festival concludes with the Shabra Charity Oliver Brady Memorial Future Stars INH Flat Race, a Grade Two bumper Willie and Patrick Mullins have combined to win each of the past three years with Appreciate It, Kilcruit and Facile Vega respectively.
This time around Mullins junior had the pick of four runners and has sided with Fact To File over Chosen Witness, Special Cadeau and Largy Hill – but he insists it was not a straightforward choice.
He said: "It was very difficult to chose. Chosen Witness probably has the best run, but Fact To File is doing the best work.
"More often than not I’d go with the best run but with bumper horses it can be a bit different, they’ve only had the one run and can improve so I’ve gone for Fact To File. But I’m not certain I’m on the right one."
While Mullins possesses a strong hand, it is his brother Tom who saddles the likely favourite in
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