Could a trip to Britain be next for Ballyburn after Willie Mullins laments loss of Leopardstown's Racing Post Novice Chase?

Willie Mullins is poised to unleash more top novice chasers in the coming weeks but Ballyburn's next destination is still up in the air with a trip to Britain over Christmas not being ruled out.

Mullins is lamenting the loss from the calendar of the Grade 1 Racing Post Novice Chase at Leopardstown's Christmas festival, which would have been an obvious stepping stone for Ballyburn in his new chasing career.

The likes of Douvan, Min, Footpad and Ferny Hollow all won the axed 2m1f novice chase for Mullins, but its absence has left him in a conundrum over the Arkle favourite as he is hesitant to run him in the newly upgraded Grade 2 novice chase at Naas on January 5, which is also sponsored by the Racing Post, due to its proximity to the Dublin Racing Festival.

Ballyburn was last season's leading novice hurdler and made a seamless transition to chasing at Punchestown last Saturday, when he put in an assured jumping display en route to a commanding 13-length victory. 

He is a best-priced 15-8 favourite for the Arkle at Cheltenham in March, but due to a lack of domestic options, Mullins hinted he may be forced to run him in Britain next.

"I'm not sure I want to go to Naas or Limerick with Ballyburn," he said. "Leopardstown at Christmas would have been the obvious step for him, but there's no race for him there now. If he goes to Naas he probably won't go to the Dublin Racing Festival.

"The Racing Post Novice Chase was a fantastic race and fitted lovely in the calendar. Now the horses will probably miss out on the Dublin Racing Festival, as if they go to Naas it comes too soon. 

"We'll probably have to go to England or miss the Dublin Racing Festival with the top ones so Irish racing will lose out. 

"It's a big loss for Leopardstown and will impact on the Dublin Racing Festival. It's going to lop-side the season. We had probably the best system with Leopardstown, the Dublin Racing Festival and then Cheltenham, a path which yielded so many good horses, so I didn't see the need to change it. 

"Two-milers went to Leopardstown while two-and-a-half or three-milers went to Limerick, and I didn't think there was an imbalance, but there will be now. 

"Irish racing has grown with the programme, but someone seems to be dismantling it and I'm not sure this is the tweak it needs."

The champion trainer remains hugely excited about Ballyburn's potential over fences, adding: "He's bred to go chasing and looks like a chaser. 

"I think fences will settle him and I'd have hated to go down the Champion Hurdle route and given him two or three hard races as I don't think it would have done his mind any good. He just galloped over his hurdles as if they weren't there. He could be an outstanding chaser."

Impaire Et Passe: close to making debut over fencesCredit: Alan Crowhurst

Mullins is also set to take the wraps off some of his other potentially top-class chasing recruits as multiple Grade 1-winning hurdlers Impaire Et Passe, Dancing City and Majborough are all nearing a return.

"Impaire Et Passe will go chasing this year. We'll get him out shortly; he's probably 50-50 for this weekend at Fairyhouse and we'll see how he is during the week. 

"He has every chance of being a top novice and could easily be a two-miler, but he won a Grade 1 over two and a half at Aintree last season.

"Dancing City won three Grade 1s over hurdles last season and will go for a beginners' chase. It might be too soon for him to come back afterwards for Christmas given he hasn't been out yet, but we'll see.

"We're caught between a rock and a hard place with Majborough given he's a four-year-old turning five, but we decided we'd go novice chasing. He looked like a fully fledged chaser from the first day he came here. 

"He's a big, mature horse and I'm looking forward to seeing him over fences, despite how young he is. He jumps well and I think he's going to be a two-miler. 

"Being a Triumph Hurdle winner, I think he will go on to be a three-miler, maybe a Gold Cup horse later in his career. 

"We could wait for the beginners' chase at Leopardstown over Christmas, but he's ready to run at the moment."

It's For Me is also catching Mullins' eye at home as he prepares for a campaign over fences. He was last seen beating subsequent Grade 1 winner Caldwell Potter in his maiden hurdle at Punchestown 12 months ago.

Mullins said: "I'm really looking forward to getting It's For Me over fences. He jumps well and his hurdles form from his last run is fantastic, while his work at home was better after that. 

"I was really looking forward to getting him out Christmas but he missed the season. I think he'll make into a real decent novice chaser."

Arkle Chase (Cheltenham, March 11, 2025)
Ladbrokes: 15-8 Ballyburn, 6 Firefox, 8 Inthepocket, L'Eau Du Sud, Sir Gino, 10 Impaire Et Passe, 14 bar.

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