WILLIE Mullins provided a list of horses for the assembled media on his media day on Monday, with horses’ names and numbers that corresponded to the numbers on their saddlecloths.

It was lucky that he did, because most of the horses looked fairly similar, mostly brownish, long faces, you know the type, except for Douvan, who looked, well, like Douvan. And Bunk Off Early, who looked grey, and Carter McKay, who also looked grey, albeit a different shade (of grey). And Carter McKay was the one with Patrick Mullins on him.

So what did we learn? We learned that Willie Mullins still has massive strength in-depth in his Cheltenham team. Number one was Djakadam, number two was Douvan (you know that they had to have had a fight at the back of the stables over who would be one and who would be two), number three was Un De Sceaux, number five was Royal Caviar, number six was Bellshill. Number four was Yorkhill, but Yorkhill was late. He got there and into formation just before they went out. When you are as talented as Yorkhill, you be as late as you like as long as you get there.

Limini was number nine, Vroum Vroum Mag was 11, Shaneshill was 13, Let’s Dance was 15, Melon was 16, Carter McKay was 33. And the cameramen were all in a spin.

If the ball had hopped a little more kindly this season, you would have added Faugheen and Annie Power and Min and Vautour and Avant Tout to the list, and if you really wanted to twist reality into best-possible-scenario-lity you could have added Killultagh Vic and Petit Mouchoir and Outlander and Arctic Fire and Don Poli and Valseur Lido and Apple’s Jade and you would have needed more sheets and more saddlecloths and more cameras.

LEADING TRAINER

Even so, the fact remains that, at current ante-post odds, of the 14 Grade 1 races at this year’s Cheltenham Festival, Willie Mullins is responsible for six of the ante-post favourites (Melon, Vroum Vroum Mag, Douvan, Carter McKay, Yorkhill and Un De Sceaux), as well as the favourite and second favourite for the Grade 2 mares’ novices’ hurdle in Let’s Dance and Airlie Beach and six other horses who are either second favourite or third favourite. It is correct that he is odds-on to be leading trainer at the Cheltenham Festival for the fifth year in a row.