Paul Nolan hoping for bright end to tough season with strong Punchestown team

In what has been perhaps the most difficult season of Paul Nolan’s career, the Wexford trainer is poised to send a strong team to the Punchestown festival next week, spearheaded by unlucky Cheltenham third Mrs Milner.

Two of Nolan's stable stars, Latest Exhibition and Discorama, had fatal injuries on the track this term, the latter after suffering a pelvic injury in the Grand National at Aintree.

Cruelly, days later the trainer's father Jimmy died. It has been a harrowing couple of weeks for the family, so Punchestown provides an opportunity for some sort of fillip.

“It’s a tough time, but I suppose it comes to us all, and unfortunately it’s come to us now and what can I say," Nolan said of the death of his father. "We'll just keep our heads down and keep working. Life goes on."

Nolan, without a Punchestown festival winner since King Vuvuzela won a bumper in 2011, has Mrs Milner and this season’s Fred Winter fourth HMS Seahorse to lead his team.

Mrs Milner will tackle the Grade 1 Coolmore Kew Gardens Irish EBF Mares Champion Hurdle on Saturday, her first start since finishing third to Marie's Rock in the Mares' Hurdle at Cheltenham after being badly hampered by the fall of Indefatigable at the second-last.

“When you see Epatante in there, you’re certainly pulling in your horns a bit," Nolan said of the entries. "But Mrs Milner was, in my opinion anyway, very unlucky at Cheltenham. From being brought to a near standstill, she flew home to be only beaten a few lengths. I thought she was one of the unlucky stories of Cheltenham.

Mrs Milner will head for the Grade 1 Mares Champion Hurdle next SaturdayCredit: Alan Crowhurst (Getty Images)

“That’s over and done with now. She seems well and there’s no reason why she won’t come out and run her race again. We’re looking forward to her.”

In the following race, HMS Seahorse will line up in the Ballymore Champion Four Year Old Hurdle, where he could face Triumph winner and runner-up Vauban and Fil Dor. The former Aidan O’Brien-trained son of Galileo was game in defeat behind Brazil in the Fred Winter and now tries Grade 1 company for the first time.

“He ran a cracker at Cheltenham, so he’ll take his chance in the Grade 1," Nolan said. "He has a lot of improvement to do but he seems to be a consistent sort. I know he’s only won a maiden hurdle but, in fairness to him, he’s never disappointed in his four outings.”

The multiple Grade 1-winning trainer also has the smart pair Sandor Clegane and Joyeux Machin engaged in the Grade 1 Champion Bumper on Wednesday, although their sights may be lowered given the likely presence of Facile Vega, with a winners' race on Thursday also an option.

“When you look at Facile Vega, you could be inclined to wave the white flag a little bit. He hasn’t much more to prove that he’s the best horse around,” Nolan said. “He's definitely the outstanding horse of the year.

Sandor Clegane: impressed in a Punchestown bumper in DecemberCredit: Patrick McCann (racingpost.com/photos)

“We’ll make our mind up a little closer to the time whether we’ll run one in the winner’s race.”

The progressive Daily Present is another who could represent the Toberona House team, with a crack at Wednesday's Grade 1 Irish Mirror Novice Hurdle on the cards for the dual hurdle winner, who accounted for subsequent Grade 2 scorer Bronn at Navan last month.

Nolan's son Barry is also set to contest Saturday's charity race, having raised more than €3,000 for the Kidney Research Fund already. Victory in that would be a poignant way for the family to bring down the curtain on a tough campaign.

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