THE LESSONS TO LEARN

FUTURE Cheltenham Festival winners always emerge from the Christmas meetings, particularly at Leopardstown. This season will likely be no different.

Trainers are creatures of habit and Willie Mullins, by his own ridiculously high standards, is generally a slow starter in the opening couple of months of the season.

However, Mullins really starts to cook with gas at Leopardstown.

Pay close attention to whoever Ireland’s champion trainer unleashes over Christmas. Festival winners Facile Vega and The Nice Guy won bumpers at this meeting last season, while Galopin Des Champs jumped a fence in public for the first time here.

It is also worth keeping an eye on who Paul Nicholls runs in the King George, regardless of their price.

In the last four seasons Nicholls has saddled three winners of Kempton’s biggest race at odds of 12-1, 11-2 and 20-1 – along with a 25-1 placed horse.

That makes an ante-post each-way bet on the Nicholls-trained Hitman at 25-1 well worth considering.

Hitman has a similar profile to Clan Des Obeaux in that he began his career over two miles and improved for the step up to two and a half, and when last seen he ran a career-best second to the smart Fakir D’Oudairies at Aintree. Only six, he can keep improving and could be in for a big year.