The 2015 Punchestown Festival kicks off today and although Willie Mullins has opted to swerve the BoyleSports Champion Chase with Vautour, the champion trainer is still well represented in the feature.
Heading the team is Champagne Fever, who is on something of a retrieval mission after being forced to bypass Cheltenham and performing below expectations in the Melling Chase.
He is the mount of Ruby Walsh, with Paul Townend on Twinlight, who bounced back to form to beat Mallowney and Savello in the Normans Grove.
Hidden Cyclone crashed out when favourite for this event 12 months ago and drops back in distance after coming up short in the Ryanair.
Sizing Europe, who prevailed in 2012 and 2014, is a non-runner after being declared in error.
Much as he did at the Cheltenham Festival, Mullins is expected to dominate the week and his RSA hero Don Poli should be able to make it four from four over the bigger obstacles in the Growise Champion Novice Chase, having accounted for Apache Stronghold and Wounded Warrior already, with stablemate Valseur Lido arriving on the back of a moderate Fairyhouse display.
Douvan got the Mullins team off to a flyer with a Supreme Novices' Hurdle demolition job at Prestbury Park and it will be a major surprise if he can't do the same in the Herald Champion Novice Hurdle.
Last year's Killashee Handicap Hurdle winner Cool Macavity has been sent back over by Nicky Henderson but a stronger British challenger for this Grade B contest is the Robert Walford-trained Astre De La Cour, who claimed a Festival success at Aintree.
The action gets under way over the cross country course at 3.40 with the Kildare Hunt Club Fr Sean Breen Memorial Chase, while the Goffs Land Rover Bumper and the JLT INH Flat Race usually throw up decent prospects so are races to watch with a view to the future.
Live coverage of The Punchestown Festival on RTÉ One from 4pm to 6pm, continuing on RTÉ2 from 6pm to 7pm, Tuesday to Friday and on RTÉ2 from 3pm to 6pm on Saturday.
