The Willie Mullins-trained Al Boum Photo will bid to become only the fifth ever horse to complete a hat-trick of wins in the Gold Cup at Cheltenham tomorrow (Friday 18 March).

The nine-year-old is the 5/2 favourite to do so and will be ridden again by Paul Townend after completing his usual preparation earlier this season by winning at Tramore on New Year’s Day.

The elusive list of horses he could join contains Arkle, Cottage Rake, Golden Miller and Best Mate – the most recent triple winner in 2004.

“Two years ago I had given up on the dream [of winning one Gold Cup] and now it’s unbelievable to be on the brink of an Arkle,” Mullins said of the son of Buck’s Boum.

“He is easy to train, that’s the thing about him. When you see him in a field he’s unremarkable, but he stands out when he’s on his own. He’s always looking over a hedge to see what’s going on but when amongst the horses he’s just ‘Ordinary Joe’.”

Even before his first Cheltenham win, Al Boum Photo had had an interesting career, not least an infamous incident at Punchestown where he was leading a Grade 1 novice chase coming down to the last, before Townend thought he heard a shout to go around the fence, and crashed the pair out of the race.

The owners of the horse, Joe and Marie Donnelly, stuck by the Cork rider and the rest is history.

“I think it’s a great three-way partnership,” Mullins said. “There’s Paul, the Donnellys and the horse. They stuck by Paul after Punchestown and they got their reward.

“Al Boum Photo obviously has an engine and if he is able to go back and do it three times then I think he can sit up there with any of them.”

Al Boum Photo’s biggest threat could well come from another Irish horse, the Henry de Bromhead-trained A Plus Tard, set to be ridden by Rachael Blackmore. The seven-year-old powered home to take the Savills Chase at Leopardstown over Christmas. With no female jockey ever landing the Gold Cup before, it would represent a huge story and moment in history if he carried Blackmore to glory.

Champ is the main British hope for Nicky Henderson, though he is owned by J.P. McManus, while Native River, the 2018 winner, is the only home winner in the last five years.