It may only be early October but it is difficult to not get excited for the jumps season proper already. The King George will be here before we know it and the Cheltenham Festival won’t be long away after that.
Willie Mullins is the king of the festival as we know and if the antepost market is to be believed, he will have a very strong lineup there in 2022. But what horse is the standout bet at this early stage of the season?
The one Mullins horse that we strongly fancy to deliver the goods next March all going well is KILCRUIT. He finished second to Sir Gerhard in the Champion Bumper last season before reversing form with the same horse in a Grade 1 the following month at Punchestown.
There is no doubt that he is a better horse than Sir Gerhard and he was very unlucky at Cheltenham in the bumper. Kilcruit conceded first run to the winner who was given a very poor ride by Paul Townend on the day, it has to be said.
Kept much closer to the pace at Punchestown, he made amends in good style. Although he is now a Grade 1 winner over two miles, tackling hurdles he will definitely need a step up in trip. There is a small chance that they go down the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle road with him but he doesn’t seem to have that high cruising speed needed over flights.
The same could have been said about Appreciate It mind who ended up going for the Supreme after all the Ballymore talk. If Kilcruit turns up in the Ballymore, he should win it. He is the best chance Willie Mullins will have in the entire week and the 4-1 available now is a decent price.
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