Willie Mullins gamble on as bookies report "significant liabilities"

Punters have been getting stuck into a Willie Mullins double for Sandown, where the Closutton maestro is expected to be crowned Britain's champion trainer for the first time on Saturday.

BoyleSports has reported that significant liabilities are building on two well-fancied Mullins-trained horses at tomorrow's season finale at Sandown.

The trainer sends a strong team to Sandown ahead of next week's Punchestown Festival, with the Simon Munir and Isaac Souede-owned pair of El Fabiolo and Impaire Et Passe being backed in doubles.

READ MORE: Manchester United keeping Willie Mullins focussed as he closes in on historic achievement

El Fabiolo (8/11) is bidding to get back to winning ways after pulling up at the Cheltenham Festival at the fifth fence having gone off the 2/9 favourite in the Champion Chase. However, punters are keeping faith in the seven-year-old who had been unbeaten in six starts over fences before his festival mishap.

The Mullins-trained gelding will renew rivalry with old foe Jonbon (9/4),who scored in the Melling Chase at Aintree just two weeks, ago and now drops back to two miles for the first time since blotting his copy book in the Tingle Creek.

The Sandown Gold Cup is the centrepiece of the day and Mullins fires three darts at the feature. Paul Townend has elected to ride Nick Rockett (8/1), who went off the 4/1 favourite when finishing sixth in the BoyleSports Irish Grand National on Easter Monday.

Despite a nine strong team crossing the Irish Sea from Closutton, punters are concentrating on the two hotpots with Impaire Et Passe adorning many betting slips alongside El Fabiolo. In what could be a big day for the double green of Munir and Souede, recent Aintree scorer Impaire Et Passe is the even money favourite for the Select Hurdle as he bids to cement his superiority over Langer Dan after less than a neck separated the duo in the Aintree Hurdle.

On a day Mullins is a near certainty to be the first Irishman since Vincent O’Brien to lift the British Champion Trainer trophy, a feat which BoyleSports has already paid out on, it’s the 5/2 double that punters are hoping will cap-off a fine season for the master of Closutton.

Brian O’Keeffe, spokesperson for BoyleSports, said: “To be breaking records on both sides of the Irish Sea is an incredible achievement by Willie Mullins and punters will be celebrating with him if he makes history at Sandown and empties the bookies’ coffers yet again.”

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