As recently as the start of the 2018 Cheltenham Festival, the most successful trainer in the meeting’s history was still Nicky Henderson. It is amazing to think of the speed at which Willie Mullins has caught, passed and dwarfed Henderson’s total, which has been 40 single-minded years in the making.

At the start of the 2024 Cheltenham Festival, Willie Mullins will be six short of becoming the first trainer to rack up a century of winners. Given that he has trained at least that many winners at each of the last four festivals, it is expected that this is the year he will get to raise his bat.

Of course, most punters are interested mainly in which horses will win for Mullins at the 2024 Cheltenham Festival. Here are six of his biggest chances.

Ballyburn - Supreme Novices’ Hurdle/Baring Bingham Novices’ Hurdle

The races on the Tuesday of the Cheltenham Festival are Mullins’ strongest. He has saddled 29 of his 94 winners in races that will be held on day one of the festival. Seven of those have been in the opening Supreme Novices’ Hurdle and this year he has the overwhelming ante-post favourite in Ballyburn.

He won a race at the Dublin Racing Festival which four of Mullins’ seven Supreme winners had also won on their run before Cheltenham. He did so in convincing style, so much so that the danger is not his form but his trainer shuffling the pack.

Tullyhill won at the weekend and, unlike Ballyburn, does not have the option of the Baring Bingham on Wednesday. It is possible that Ballyburn will therefore take in the longer race. Either way, Mullins is likely to have the favourite to take his tally to 95 in the Cheltenham Festival’s very first race.

Lossiemouth - David Nicholson Mares’ Hurdle

Last year’s Triumph Hurdle winner is something of a controversial runner in the Mares’ Hurdle. Many believe she should be adding to the challenge facing Constitution Hill in the Champion Hurdle. But Mullins’ approach is not to pick fights he cannot win, and he also has Constitution Hill’s main threat in State Man anyway.

Lossiemouth is out to become Mullins’ tenth winner of the Mares’ Hurdle. He would become the first trainer to have ten winners of the same Cheltenham Festival race over obstacles (he already has 12 Champion Bumper wins and Nicky Henderson would beat him to the record if Constitution Hill wins the Champion Hurdle 40 minutes earlier). Lossiemouth is good enough to take on the boys and is probably the Mullins nap of the whole week.

Fact To File - Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase

It is just like Mullins to have the main beneficiary when the halo slips on one of his main hopes. Gaelic Warrior was supposed to be his big novice chase hope this season. He flopped at the Dublin Racing Festival, but he was humbled by a stablemate in Fact To File.

The JP McManus-owned Fact To File could run in the Turners, too, but indications at this stage are that he will go for the longer Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase. Here the main danger is the Paul Nicholls-trained Stay Away Fay, who won last year’s Albert Bartlett and looks a thorough stayer.

El Fabiolo - Champion Chase

Last year’s Arkle winner was already winning the argument with Jonbon before the latter met with a shock defeat in the Clarence House Chase on festival trials day in January. El Fabiolo made short work of his opposition in the Dublin Chase the following week and the day two feature, won for the last two years by the absent Mullins-trained Energumene, looks his to lose.

Galopin Des Champs - Cheltenham Gold Cup

Last year Galopin Des Champs did everything wrong and still won the Gold Cup convincingly. After a couple of misfires after, he has reestablished himself as the dominant force in the staying chase division. He comfortably beat Gold Cup second-favourite Fastorslow last time and the major British challenge comes from the talented-but-quirky Shishkin, as well as L’Homme Presse whose claims took a hit in last weekend’s Ascot Chase.

Allegorie De Vassy - Mares’ Chase

If Mullins needs one more to get him over the line with the end of the 2024 Cheltenham Festival in site, the Mares’ Chase ought to get him there. He trains short-priced favourite Dinoblue. A personal fancy is for Allegorie De Vassy to upset the favourite. However, she is also trained by Mullins. If further evidence were needed to how dominant Willie Mullins is in National Hunt racing, that surely provides it.