Willie Mullins gives unbeaten £200,000 horse three last-minute entries at Cheltenham Festival

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WILLIE MULLINS had punters sweating when he waited until the last minute to give an unbeaten £200,000 horse three Cheltenham Festival entries.

Final Demand is as short as 6-1 second favourite for the 3m Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle.

He looked a stayer going places when taking a Limerick maiden hurdle by an easy 15 lengths on his debut for Mullins last month.

But panic set in among bettors when they noticed Final Demand, owned in part by Bravemansgame owner Bryan Drew, was not among the early entries for the Festival race.

The matter was made worse when Fishery Lane, another Drew-owned horse in training with Mullins, was entered.

But the Closutton boss pounced late and gave Final Demand entries in the Albert Bartlett, the Turner’s Novices’ Hurdle over 2m5f and the Supreme over 2m.

The entry in the latter, the speed contest and opening race of the Festival, is particularly interesting.

Should he run there it would mean Mullins dropping the six-year-old gelding back five furlongs from the distance over which he made his debut.

By Walk In The Park, Final Demand was a six-length point-to-point winner at Lingstown last March.

Danny Mullins steered him to a 4-7 success on his debut for Mullins, and said afterwards: “He was good and straightforward.

“He is a massive horse and hopefully he has the potential to match. He’s classy and he could come back in trip.”