Until now, the big festival prize was just out of reach.
Its On The Line is being readied for a fourth run at the Festival Challenge Cup Open Hunters’ Chase at Cheltenham.
The nine-year-old, owned by JP McManus, has won the major hunting prizes at Aintree and Punchestown but has so far proved expensive to follow at Prestbury Park in March, coming second in each of the past three seasons.
Its On The Line was a neck second to Wonderwall last season and his trainer Emmet Mullins will do everything he can to ensure he can finally put his head first this time.
“It’s our fourth attempt so we’ve been there and we know what’s involved, so fingers crossed we can tweak one or two things and get it over the line,” he said.
“It was a good run when he won the Down Royal at Christmas and I think he is as good as ever, there are no issues ending.”
When asked what adjustments he needed to make, the trainer added, “Brain cells, I would say! He just has his own ideas. We tried the cheek pieces, but I don’t think they worked and I don’t think he enjoyed them.”
“At Down Royal we used stronger tactics, rather than trying to fool him and keep him in charge for as long as possible.”
Its On The Line will be one of “four or five” Mullins-trained runners at this year’s festival, with Backmersackme a clear contender after his recent success at the Dublin Racing Festival.
Mullins added: “He seems to have come out of the DRF well. I suppose winning Cheltenham-wise over two mile-five created a few more options for us as we originally thought we couldn’t go far enough with him, so the National Hunt Chase was always the plan.
“We always hoped he had that kind of running in him, we campaigned him enough over hurdles and the form was always there, we just hadn’t had our day. We always hoped it was only a matter of time before he could get it done.
“He’s getting plenty of entries, but I’d say we’re leaning towards the National Hunt Chase.”
Minella Emperor is in line for the Pertemps final after finishing second in a Haydock qualifier last weekend, while McLaurey is likely to have several entries but is considered “a bit of a mudlark” by his trainer.
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