Willie Mullins has five runners in the Dooley Insurance Group Champion Novice Chase at Punchestown on Tuesday April 28. The two principals are Lecky Watson — who won the Brown Advisory Novices Chase at Cheltenham — and Ballyburn, who will be ridden by Paul Townend. Their Punchestown rematch is confirmed.
Lecky Watson — The Brown Advisory Winner
The Brown Advisory Novices Chase at Cheltenham is run over three miles — the championship novice chase for staying chasers at the Festival. In winning it, Lecky Watson demonstrated he is the leading three-mile novice chaser of the 2025-26 season. He returns to Punchestown as the confirmed Cheltenham winner in the division, carrying that form into a final-day Grade 1 test on Irish soil.
Ballyburn — The Paul Townend Choice
Paul Townend rides Ballyburn. In a stable with five runners in the same race, the jockey allocation is itself a signal. Townend's decision to ride Ballyburn rather than Lecky Watson suggests either that Ballyburn offers him the better chance of winning or that Mullins has made a specific assessment about which horse suits which jockey for this race.
The Racing Post declaration report is explicit: "Mullins holds the key to the Champion Novice Chase with five runners including Brown Advisory winner Lecky Watson. He will renew rivalry with stablemate Ballyburn, who will be ridden by Paul Townend."
The Mullins Stranglehold
Five runners in a Grade 1 novice chase from a single stable is the most concentrated display of strength in a single race of the entire Punchestown Festival. Mullins is not entering five horses to make up the numbers — each one has been prepared for a specific role. When the jockey allocation clarifies in the days before the race, the market will react accordingly.
Trotbot monitors Punchestown jockey booking patterns as market intelligence. The jockey each Mullins horse draws in the final declarations is among the most watched signals of the entire festival week.
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Facts verified via web search April 23 2026. Source: Racing Post Punchestown Day 1 declarations April 23 2026.