With an average win rate of one in four since 2008, you can’t ignore Willie Mullins-trained horses in any race – although his dominance is more pronounced in Ireland than it is across the water in Britain.

And while backing favourites blindly is a mug’s game, you could do worse things for your bank balance than having a punt on the Mullins-trained jolly, and that includes those in British races. During that period, favourites in British races trained at Closutton provided 77 winners from 183 bets (42pc) and had you stuck a tenner on each, you’d show a profit of €88 to traditional SP, or €235 to Betfair SP.

Those figures go some way towards making a case for Willie Mullins’

Chacun Pour Soi to win the Betfair Tingle Creek Chase at Sandown (2.25) under Patrick Mullins, although the horse lets his form do the talking, and you don’t need facts and figures to see he has a good chance here at 11/10 or thereabouts.

I must hold my hands up and admit I opposed him when he was last seen winning the William Hill Champion Chase at Punchestown in April, having been burned at very short odds previously in the Cheltenham Queen Mother Champion Chase, one of the few big races still not won by Mullins.

But before Cheltenham, he’d won six of his seven races since coming over from France, four of those at Grade One level, and despite opposing him at Punchestown, I always love to see a top-class horse bounce back to form.

On official ratings, he’s got the measure of all four rivals today, but there are a couple of negatives worth mentioning. Firstly, he’s only raced once before in Britain, and he lost that, and secondly, he’s the only runner in the field having his first outing of the season.

However, those negatives are enough to push his odds out to what I still consider a value price for a top-level horse, and while Mullins admits he’ll have to bring his A-game this afternoon, the trainer is happy with his work, and he’s all set and ready to go.

Dan Skelton’s Nube Negra, which beat the selection in the Champion Chase, is the main danger, although he was well behind when the pair met again at Punchestown.

Earlier on the same card, Third Time Lucki is aptly named as he goes for a hat-trick, and the five-year-old should take all the beating in the Close Brothers Henry VIII Novices’ Chase (1.50).

A useful hurdler, he’s got his chasing career off to the best possible start with two victories this season, including a Group Two, and I’m happy to keep him on my side priced in the region of 11/8.

Over the National fences at Aintree, I’m backing Vieux Lion Rouge each way to follow up last year’s victory in the Grade Three Unibet Becher Handicap Chase (2.40), and the 11/1 available yesterday evening seems reasonably fair.

Trained by David Pipe, he’s 5lb higher in the ratings at 145 this time around, but he’s been trained with this in mind, having also won in 2016, and he knows the course well.

I had considered backing Snow Leopardess for Charlie Longsdon and I’ll be kicking myself if she’s successful but can’t bring myself to back her at 6/1 in such a competitive contest, despite her excellent round of jumping last time out at Bangor.

I’m happy to sit out the Grade Two Unibet Many Clouds Chase (2.05 Aintree) without a bet. However, I’ll watch with interest how Tiger Roll and Native River (both aged 11) perform against younger horses, like six-year-old Protektorat, part-owned by Alex Ferguson.

A good case could be made for at least four of the eight runners, and I’ll leave it to better brains than mine to try and figure out what the best betting option is here.

In the Unibet ‘You’re On’ Novices’ Handicap Hurdle (11.45 Aintree), I’m keen on Fairfield Ferrata, which is 8/1 at the time of writing. The Jedd O’Keffee-trained mare won a maiden hurdle against her own sex at Market Rasen recently. An opening handicap mark of 108 leaves room to improve.

On the all-weather at Wolverhampton, Screaming Petrus looks a good deal overpriced around 8/1 in the Betway Novice Stakes (6.30).