Racing: Mullins positive about Approach

Twelve months on and a mention of the name Adamant Approach still makes bookmakers wince. It was his final-flight fall when taking up the lead in the Supreme Novices' Hurdle at Cheltenham last year that handed the race to the hot favourite, Like-A-Butterfly, one of the biggest Festival gambles in recent times.

Adamant Approach's poor luck was overshadowed by punters' celebrations then, but now he is back. Yesterday he was one of 47 high-class entries for the Irish Independent Arkle Challenge Trophy Chase at this year's Festival.

Willie Mullins, the nine-year-old's trainer, has entered the nine-year-old in both the Arkle and the Champion Hurdle. But Mullins insisted that the Champion entry was merely a display of extreme caution. When Adamant Approach won a beginners' chase by 15 lengths, at Punchestown on New Year's Eve, his superb jumping propelled him to third-favouritism in the Arkle betting. Only if his jumping of fences deteriorated, Mullins insisted yesterday, would the switch back to hurdles be contemplated – something not anticipated at the trainer's Co Carlow stables.

"He jumped so well at Punchestown and there no indication things won't stay that way," he said. "The Arkle is the target; that looks the one."

Mullins also has Alexander Milenium in the £140,000 race. Other prominent Irish entries include Bust Out, trained by Jessica Harrington, and the Noel Meade-trained Sausalito Bay, who beat Best Mate to land the 2000 Supreme Novices' Hurdle. Irish trainers have won three of the last seven Arkles, with Klairon Davis (1995), Ventana Canyon (1996) and Moscow Flyer (2002).

Nicky Henderson, who has won the two-mile event three times, accounts for five of this year's entries. Paul Nicholls holds a particularly strong hand with the ante-post favourite Azertyuiop and four other entries. Best Mate's owner, Jim Lewis, has a live contender in Impek, winner of all his three starts over fences.

Guillaume Macaire's Jair Du Cochet heads 72 entries for the Royal & SunAlliance Chase at the Festival. The six-year-old is unbeaten in four runs this season. Beef Or Salmon has been entered by his trainer, Michael Hourigan, but is widely expected to run in the Gold Cup, while the former top hurdler Le Coudray, trained by Christy Roche for JP McManus, is also in the field.

Martin Pipe has seven entries including top contenders such as It Takes Time, Montalcino, Tarxien and Montreal.

* Gunner B, winner of the 1978 Eclipse Stakes and sire of winners of the Grand National (Red Marauder) and Champion Hurdle (Royal Gait), has died at the age of 30 at Shade Oak Stud in Shropshire. He had become one of the oldest sires on record and one of the best jump sires in Britain, with Gunner Welburn, Bobby Grant and Red Striker to his credit. "He went peacefully in his sleep, from a heart attack," said the stud manager, Peter Hockenhull.

ARKLE TROPHY (Cheltenham, 11 March): Coral: 3-1 Azertyuiop, 7-1 Impek, Adamant Approach, Farmer Jack, 14-1 Bust Out, 16-1 Isio, Got One Too, Le Roi Miguel, Vol Solitaire, Montalcino, Telemoss, 25-1 Alexander Milenium, Hand Inn Hand, 33-1 others.