Twenty-four hours ago Gordon Elliott led Willie Mullins by just over €100,000 in the Irish National Hunt trainers' championship. Yesterday at Punchestown, Mullins recorded a treble — Il Etait Temps, Western Fold and a third winner from the day's card — and overtook Elliott at the top of the standings. Elliott got one back with Western Fold's 18/1 shock in the Champion Novice Chase. The title race has already swung once in a single day. Four days remain.
How Mullins Moved Ahead
Three winners on Day 1. Il Etait Temps won the Champion Chase — worth approximately €176,700 to the connections. The Novice Grade 1 prizes of €125,000 each added further significant sums to Mullins's total. A treble at a festival where every Grade 1 is worth €300,000 moves the prize money dial more dramatically than three winners at a routine midweek meeting.
Elliott's Counter
Western Fold's 18/1 win in the Champion Novice Chase gave Gordon Elliott a Grade 1 of his own on Day 1. The prize money from that win is his contribution to narrowing the gap that Mullins's treble created. But one Grade 1 against three winners means the net movement favoured Mullins overnight.
Tonight's Gold Cup — The Pivotal Race
The Ladbrokes Punchestown Gold Cup at 18:05 tonight is worth €176,700 to the winner. Both Gaelic Warrior and Fact To File are Mullins horses — he wins the race regardless of which one crosses the line first. The Gold Cup tonight is Mullins prize money however the race goes, assuming no non-Mullins upset.
That near-certainty of Gold Cup prize money means Elliott's best opportunities this week are in races where his horses are competitive against the Mullins string — the Champion Stayers on Thursday, the Champion Hurdle on Friday and the Grade 1s on Saturday.
The Championship Outlook
Mullins leads. He has the Gold Cup tonight. He has Lossiemouth in the Champion Hurdle on Friday — if she wins, another €300,000. Four days of Grade 1 racing at the festival that is effectively his home track. The momentum is with him. Whether Elliott can produce the run of winners needed to re-establish his lead before Saturday evening is the central question of the week.
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Facts verified via web search April 29 2026.