Fairyhouse winner Mighty Park cut across the board for Cheltenham

January 15, 2026

Mighty Park was cut across the board for the Cheltenham Festival following his easy success at Fairyhouse.

The five-year-old saw his odds shorten from 40/1 to 16/1 for the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle and 50/1 to 12/1 for the Turners Novices’ Hurdle.

He is Willie Mullins’ joint-shortest contender in the Supreme market alongside Bambino Fever and Sober, and the outright stable leader for the Turners.

Mighty Park was second on his sole point-to-point start for Donnchadh Doyle at Quakerstown last April, bought by JP McManus for €105,000 as a three-year-old.

It couldn’t have been a more facile victory for the son of Walk In The Park, making all the running to come home alone by 38 lengths on stable debut for Mullins.

He’s closely related to Nicky Henderson’s former stable star Might Bite, a four-time Grade 1 winner in the King George VI Chase, Aintree Bowl, Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase and Mildmay Novices’ Chase.

Just as Mullins was looking for an injection of life into his novice hurdling team, a promising prospect has burst onto the scene and it’s fair to say he could be anything.

There was certainly no accident about his emphatic performance, backed from as big as 9/4 into 8/13 before the off and it was one of the easiest rides Mark Walsh will ever enjoy.

🟢🟡 €105,000 buy Mighty Park got in as a reserve & the half-brother to Might Bite makes no mistake on his Rules debut @Fairyhouse 👇🏻 pic.twitter.com/uyJp4zqiiM

— Racing TV (@RacingTV) January 15, 2026

Frank Berry, racing manager to McManus, said: “He couldn’t have done it any better. He made his own running and jumped great, we were very happy with him.

“It might not have been the strongest of races but he couldn’t have done it any nicer than he did. He has all the things you should have, a bit of size and scope so you couldn’t be happier.

“We’ll see what Willie thinks and see how he comes out of the run. We’ll give him three weeks I suppose and then see where he goes from there and see where Willie wants to go.

“He had the run in the point-to-point and he’s raw enough still. Mark said he was raw enough in front but maybe it would be different in company. I’d say another run would mean a lot to him.”

As mentioned by @JakePriceRacing on X (formerly Twitter), he could head to the Listed Sheila Bourke Novice Hurdle over two miles at Punchestown on February 15 or the Grade 3 Michael Purcell Memorial Novice Hurdle over 2m4f at Thurles on February 19.

Mullins will be delighted with what he saw, desperate for something to poke its head through the pack for Cheltenham and Mighty Park looks more one for the intermediate trip.

Depending on what comes out of the Nathaniel Lacy & Partners Solicitors Novice Hurdle at the Dublin Racing Festival, with Limerick winner You Proof and Grade 2 Navan victor Doctor Steinberg among the entries, Closutton’s number one in the Turners is still up for grabs.

Doctor Du Mesnil has it all to prove following a disappointing effort at Christmas but he might not be one to rule out just yet.