WE knew that there was a good chance that some of the Willie Mullins horses would come on appreciably for their seasonal debuts in December, and the evidence was fairly compelling last week.

Allaho stepped forward from his second-place finish in a beginners’ chase at Leopardstown’s Christmas Festival to win his beginners’ chase at Fairyhouse on Saturday impressively. Billaway stepped forward from his defeat in the hunters’ chase at Down Royal on St Stephen’s Day to win the hunters’ chase at Naas on Sunday. Even Total Recall, he was running for the first time since June when he contested a hurdle race at Clonmel in early December, and he returned to close to his Ladbrokes-Trophy-winning best when he won the Goffs Thyestes Chase at Gowran Park last Thursday.