Willie Mullins identifies Cheltenham Gold Cup hopefuls as Nico De Boinville faces lengthy spell out with injury

The Cheltenham Gold Cup is one of the few races that Mullins is yet to train a winner for

Willie Mullins has identified Bellshill and Al Boum Photo to build on their good season and challenge for the Cheltenham Gold Cup.

The Cheltenham Gold Cup is one of the few Grade 1 National Hunt titles that has alluded Mullins, although his father, Paddy Mullins, won it once in 1986 with Dawn Run.

Djakadam finished second in the Cheltenham Festival feature in consecutive years in 2015 and 2016, but could only muster fifth in 2018 in a highly competitive field.

Bellshill secured his first Grade One success over fences when it beat Djakadam and 7/2 favourite Road to Respect to claim the Punchestown Gold Cup in April and Mullins is hopeful it can kick on this year.

Willie Mullins is hopeful Bellshill can improve on a good season (Getty)

“I am very happy with how he has come out of his summer's rest,” he said. "He is one that I'm going to try to make a Gold Cup horse out of this year, he'll go down that route, staying chases."

His other hopeful, Al Boum Photo, fell on the penultimate jump in last year’s RSA Insurance Novices’ Chase but came back with a good win in the Ryanair Novices Chase at Fairyhouse last Easter but ran out at Punchesdown to take the shine off a promising term. “He improved all year,” said Mullins.

“I think I will have to aim him for a Gold Cup, whether it's in Leopardstown or Cheltenham. That's the route he will go down, he is a staying chaser, he has lots of ability and is improving all the time."

Al Boum Photo’s fall ended Ruby Walsh’s Festival and kept him out with a broken leg and he was hurt again in Killarney to limit his involvement during the summer.

"Ruby is a huge rider to have your side and hopefully he stays injury-free,” said Mullins of the 11-time leading jockey at Cheltenham. “He got a freak fall down in Killarney and it kept him out for a lot of the summer. I wasn't too worried because I want him for the winter and not for the summer on this kind of ground.

"I have a brilliant team between Patrick (Mullins), David Casey and Ruby. With the amount of horses we have the moment, it's a huge asset to have people of that calibre around.

"Ruby is planning campaigns for horses more than I am! They are all looking forward to the season and can't wait to get going. It's good to have guys like that, they are itching to go and you know there is a hunger there then."

Elsewhere Nico de Boinville will see a specialist on Friday after injuring his thumb and fears he could be in for a long lay-off. The English jockey, best known for his association with Might Bite, fell from Before Midnight at Chepstow to blow a two-length lead.

Might Bite (L) was beaten by Native River (R) in the 2018 Cheltenham Gold Cup (Getty)

“Some bad news to report, I am afraid. I am going to be on the sidelines for a while,” he said in his Unibet blog.

“I damaged my thumb when unseating on Before Midnight at Chepstow on Tuesday, and I am off to see a specialist tomorrow. That will tell us where we go next, and the timescales involved, but I am not going to be back within days.

"All jockeys look on the bright side in these situations though, and the aim is to be back in the saddle as soon as possible.”

De Boinville won the King George VI Chase with Might Bite in 2017 and the Nick Henderson-trained horse is 5/1 Ante-post favourite to win the 2019 Cheltenham Gold Cup.