Cheltenham Festival News: Facile Vega Vs American Mike will be easy Champion Bumper viewing
Facile Vega produces brilliant performance in Leopardstown bumper
Cheltenham 2022 has plenty of mouthwatering clashes to savour to but the Champion Bumper tussle between Facile Vega and American Mike is up there. Willie Mullins and Gordon Elliott go toe-to-toe.
The Champion Bumper showdown between the Willie Mullins trained Facile Vega and Gordon Elliott's American Mike is a mouthwatering one says jockey Patrick Mullins.
Mullins junior is set to ride Facile Vega, a son of the brilliant mare Quevega who starred recently at the Dublin Racing Festival while fellow top amateur Jamie Codd is champing at the bit to partner Elliott's American Mike.
Both horses are tussling for favouritism at around the 3/1 mark for the test of National Hunt newbies.
"Facile Vega obviously has the best track form, but Redemption Day mirrors everything he does at home and I think James's Gate has a lot of improvement in him so there are plenty of good spares there," said Mullins, who is assistant to his father.
"I think Willie's record is usually that the favourite gets beat and one of the other ones comes and beats him! It would be nice to get a third victory in the race as I think Ruby (Walsh) has three so it would be great to equal him.
Facile Vega looks a picture in the glorious sunshine @WillieMullinsNH’s yard ? pic.twitter.com/jslNAPPkMK
— Racing TV (@RacingTV) February 23, 2022
"It's going to be an excellent race and Jamie is unusually bullish about American Mike so it will be good to go head-to-head with him up the hill."
On the pressure of preparing for the Festival, Mullins added: "The Lord Bagenal (local pub) is definitely a huge help and we're all very thankful that it's back open!
"My father has been at that pinnacle now for a few years and I think my mother is very good at humouring him and we know when to walk out of the kitchen and when to be in the kitchen, so we've all adapted well I think."
Other contenders include Redemption Day and James's gate for Mullins and Milton Harris' Mullenbeg.
