The Queen Mother Champion Chase brought one disappointment after another for Willie Mullins until he finally broke his duck with Energumene, the winner in 2022 and 2023, and even with his star two-miler sidelined by injury, Mullins should complete the hat-trick with El Fabiolo (3.30) in the festival’s feature event on Wednesday afternoon.
The favourite was a neck behind Jonbon, his main market rival, in a novice hurdle at Aintree in April 2022 but is much better over fences and dispatched Jonbon by nearly six lengths in last year’s Arkle Trophy.
