IF there was one word that kept getting repeated in the aftermath of a Gordon Elliott or Willie Mullins-trained winner at Cheltenham last month, it was Punchestown.

Forgone were winnable Grade 1 races at Aintree in order to concentrate full barrel on a trainers’ championship on home turf.

Elliott has been relentless in his dream quest to win the championship. Mullins, who ironically was this time last year engaged in the British trainers’ championship battle, has been forced to keep many of his troops on the home front in order to protect a nine-year reign at the top.

The match-up is set perfectly. Elliott has a lead of €382k but a glance at bookmaker lists strongly suggests that Mullins has the artillery to make a fight of this. Here are five key areas which will go a long way to deciding who takes the title:

1. First day battles

Day one. Second race. Labaik. Discuss. There is no long whip allowed at the start of races in Ireland and Elliott suggested that such a device was a significant factor in getting the mysterious grey to race at Cheltenham. But if it makes any difference, he has been to Punchestown already and he jumped off fine.

If Labaik does fancy it, we saw at Cheltenham how good he is and he’d have a favourite’s chance to get Elliott off to a flyer. However it wouldn’t be a done deal. Melon only has two lengths to find with Labaik and he only has two runs over hurdles to his name. It is very reasonable to expect improvement. Who will strike first blood?

Move two races forward and you have Un De Sceaux in the feature, the two-mile BoyleSports Champion Chase. Excellent in the Ryanair Chase at Cheltenham, he will return to his optimum trip here and he will be odds-on to score his trainer €147,500. A win for him and a win for Melon would more than half the deficit for team Mullins and provide huge momentum. It would be game on.

2. What do you do

with Annie Power?

You have an ace in your pack. When and where do you play it? Do you go for the Champion Hurdle and give yourself a more than a 50-50 chance (backed up by Arctic Fire) of netting at least the winner’s prize of €147,500.

Or do you go for the mares’ race and possibly take on Apple’s Jade, one of your opponent’s aces. If Mullins is afforded freedom, which he usually is, there is logic to suggest the latter option, because in that case you may force your opponent’s hand. Apple’s Jade would likely have a favourite’s chance in the mares’ race without Annie but would be up against it taking her on. Elliott has said before she doesn’t have the pace for two miles so do you then go up in trip with her and go for the Stayers Hurdle? Then you have to take on Nichols Canyon – the Cheltenham champion stayer. A game of chess.

3. Novice Hurdlers –

Death’s duty

Mullins has 37 novice and juvenile hurdlers with multiple entries in various races at the Punchestown Festival. Elliott has 25. Not a huge difference at the time of writing but significant nonetheless. And, on closer inspection, Mullins looks to have a stronger bunch. Melon, Let’s Dance, Augusta Kate, Penhill, Al Boum Photo and Bleu Berry, to name a few. Each novice race (and the Champion 4yo Hurdle) has €100,000 up for grabs so the placement of horses into these races could prove significant. Death Duty is a big player for Elliott. Drop down to two miles, four furlongs or stay at three miles? Considering that many of the Elliott novices look just below top grade, a win for the son of Shantou, his trainer’s pride and joy, could prove vital.

4. Handicaps

Don’t underestimate the handicap races. There is just short of €550,000 up for grabs. Mullins took two big handicaps at Punchestown last season but big handicap wins have been paramount to Elliott’s surge to the top of the standings this season and you’d expect him to have a crack team ready for battle.

As mentioned above, Elliott may not have strength in depth amongst his novice hurdlers at the very top level but that translates to a huge number of horses with plenty of scope to improve in handicaps, like The Storyteller, Sire Du Berlais, Runfordave, Champagne Classic and Fridaynightlights. Then add in the chasers - the types the Meath trainer has done so well with this year - like Rightdownthemiddle, General Principle and Diamond King to an already strong squad and the cash yield could prove significant.

5. Senior

championship races

If it came down to just these four races, you’d give Mullins a huge chance. There is €250,000 up for grabs for each one, with €147,500 available to the winner.

As mentioned already Mullins will be odds-on to take the first-day feature with Un De Sceaux. In the Coral Punchestown Gold Cup on Wednesday, Sizing John will be hard to beat but Mullins’s Djakadam will be rated his biggest danger.

Elliott’s Outlander finished close to Djakadam in the John Durkan Chase at Punchestown earlier in the season but he will have to put a really poor run in the Gold Cup behind him.

In Thursday’s Ladbrokes Champion Stayers Hurdle, Mullins has another strong favourite in Nichols Canyon who is bidding to land a Cheltenham-Punchestown double.

Then on Friday you have the Betdaq Champion Hurdle which Mullins has a tight grasp on as well with the option of running Annie Power, possibly backed up by Arctic Fire and last year’s winner Vroum Vroum Mag.

Counting each of his horses in each race, it isn’t unforeseeable that Mullins could be odds-on to win three of four big pots next week.

That’s just short of €450,000 without counting the prize money for places in behind. Let the games begin.