IRISH eyes will be smiling at Cheltenham this afternoon - and the bookies will be running for cover - if, as anticipated, Willie Mullins wins all four of the Grade 1 races on the opening day of the 2015 Festival, the annual Olympics of National Hunt racing.

Mullins, jumping’s dominant force in Ireland, has brought a team of some 50 horses to Cheltenham this week for the four-day extravaganza, a squad so powerful that nobody can remember a single trainer having so many aces in his hand for this most prestigious of gatherings.

This afternoon, Mullins promises to reign supreme by completing a four-timer with Douvan, Un de Sceaux, Faugheen and Annie Power.

Faugheen, who lines up in the £400,000 Stan James Champion Hurdle, has yet to taste defeat.

An impressive winner in novice company at this fixture last year, the strong-galloping gelding is three from three this season and, although he has not been seriously tested, he has looked invincible in his style and enthusiasm.

His seven rivals include his stablemates Hurricane Fly, a former champion who has been in great form this season in Ireland, and Arctic Fire, not forgetting last year’s winner Jezki, the mount of AP McCoy in his final Champion Hurdle and Britain’s number one hope The New One, third last year after being almost brought down early on.

Faugheen has no easy task, but he has looked something special up until now. This is his chance to prove it and he is awarded the nap vote.

Ruby Walsh kicks off the Mullins charge aboard Douvan in the Sky Bet Supreme Novices’ Hurdle. “As nice a horse as we’ve ever brought to Cheltenham,” was how Mullins recently described this season’s triple-winner. He will be very hard to beat in a race the trainer won last year with Vautour.

In the Racing Post Arkle Challenge Trophy, all eyes will be on Mullins’ Un de Sceaux.

He will be easy to spot. The chances are he’ll be leading from flag-fall as this headstrong gelding likes nothing better than to bowl along at the head of affairs.

A faller on his first run over fences, he has done precious little wrong in his two races since and looks head and shoulders over his rivals. That said, anyone prepared to take a short price about him winning will doubtless suffer from sweaty palms throughout this two-miler. The gallop he goes, he will have little margin for error in the jumping department over some tricky fences on this undulating course.

Mullins has dominated the OLBG Mares’ Hurdle in recent years with Quevega, who is now retired. He has a ready-made successor in Annie Power, who has been beaten only once in her life, in the World Hurdle at this meeting 12 months ago when she was outstayed over three miles.

It’s to be hoped the home nation team can get on the scoreboard during the afternoon.

Neil Mulholland has good prospects with The Druids Nephew in the Ultima Business Solutions Handicap Chase, while in the CHAPS Restaurants Barbados Novices’ Handicap Chase, Philip Hobbs can strike the right note with Horizontal Speed.

Selectons

Cheltenham today
1.30 Douvan, 2.05 Un de Sceaux, 2.40 The Druids Nephew, 3.20 Faugheen (NAP), 4.00 Annie Power, 4.40 Very Wood, 5.15 Horizontal Speed.

Sedgefield today
1.45 River Bollin, 2.20 Kilas Girl, 2.55 Amethyst Rose, 3.35 Ivan Boru, 4.15 Honourable Gent, 4.55 Devil’s Dyke, 5.25 Now Let Go.

Today’s other meetings
Southwell and Wolverhampton.

Tomorrow’s meetings
Cheltenham, Huntington, Kempton and Southwell.