Willie Mullins has achieved some extraordinary things in his career, but he has never had a winner at Chepstow - although that could change at the venue on Friday.
The all-conquering Irish champion, who recently won his fourth Grand National with I Am Maximus, has had only three runners at the course, but has entered Bon Viveur in a novice hurdle on Friday, which is worth £10,000.
The six-year-old, who is owned by Mullins’ wife Jackie and could be the mount of their son Patrick, was successful in a maiden hurdle at Tramore in November and was last seen landing a Group 3 prize at Thurles in February.
It is the final jumps meeting of Chepstow’s season and a runner for Mullins, who also won a Breeders’ Cup contest last year and has captured just about every big jumps race worth winning, would add some intrigue to proceedings.
He is not, however, the only major name who could be represented as Nicky Henderson and Paul Nicholls have a host of entries too. The main race on the card is the Dunraven Bowl Hunters’ Chase which is celebrating its 30th anniversary. Sponsor David Brace (photographed) from Dunraven Windows is one of the biggest supporters at the track.
The weather is set to be sunny and gates open at 3.25pm for a 4.55pm start.
Thomas Faulkner will not be in action on the card, his bright start to the spring continued at Nottingham on Saturday evening when Desiderata did the business.
Faulkner, who is based close to Chepstow in Devauden, took over training duties from his mother Deborah in 2024 and sent out three winners that year.
Last term resulted in 15, but the victory of Desiderata means he has already saddled eight flat winners this season.
A consistent individual, the gelding was a winner at Wolverhampton in March and followed that up by finishing a fine third at Lingfield.
He was able to maintain that form at Nottingham over the weekend and did so in a 1m½f handicap, for which he went off a 9-2 chance.
Ridden by Rab Havlin, Desiderata was soon in a prominent position and led with a furlong to go before displaying a good attitude in the closing stages to win by three-quarters of a length.
It was nearly a superb night for Faulkner as Havlin finished second on Pulsar Star, while Zoe Lewis did the steering on Fifty Sent, who was not beaten far when fourth in another race on the card.
Ron Harris, who is also local to Chepstow being based in Earlswood, likes to target meetings at Bath, but was out of luck with his five runners there on Friday.
He has had more winners at the course than anywhere apart from Wolverhampton, but two fourths were the best he could manage and it was a similar story for his daughter Grace.
Like her father, she is a fan of the track, but a second for Oasis Sunrise and third for Rating was all she had to celebrate.
