ENERGUMENE heads the field for Sunday’s €100,000 Bar One Racing Hilly Way Chase at Cork.

Trained by Willie Mullins, the 10-year-old Energumene is returning from a 593-day absence and is attempting to win the Grade 2 race he secured in 2021 and 2022.

He has not been seen on the track since completing the Cheltenham-Punchestown Champion Chase double in March and April of 2023.

Mullins also plans to run Dinoblue in the Hilly Way Chase. This very consistent mare won a Grade 1 chase at Leopardstown last Christmas and then finished second at both the Dublin Racing Festival and Cheltenham before taking third behind Banbridge at Punchestown.

The race was first run in 2001 as a Grade 3 race, before being awarded Grade 2 status in 2003.

Willie Mullins has saddled the winner of the Hilly Way Chase an incredible 15 times since 2001.

Golden Silver won it three times in a row between 2009 and 2011. Douvan, Un De Sceaux and Chacun Pour Soi are among the other Mullins-trained winners of the race to have thrilled Cork racegoers.

Since 2013 only once has Willie Mullins failed to train the Hilly Way winner. That was in 2018 when Castlegrace Paddy triumphed for trainer Pat Fahy.

A year ago it was the turn of the Mullins-trained El Fabiolo who ran out an easy winner at odds of 1/5.

Favourites have a great record in the Hilly Way Chase. The last five winners have all been odds-on.

RTÉ will show live coverage from Cork on Sunday. The card also features the Grade 2 Coolmore NH Sires Order Of St George Irish EBF Mares Novice Chase and the Grade 3 Singletons Supervalu Stayers Novice Hurdle.

The Coolmore NH Sires Order Of St George Irish EBF Mares Novice Chase has a rich history of producing top-class winners. The race’s roll of honour includes Vroum Vroum Mag, Shattered Love, Elimay and Impervious.

Racing begins at 12.03pm with the Bar One Racing 3YO Maiden Hurdle, followed by the Bar One Racing Maiden Hurdle.

Tickets online

RACING starts at 12.03pm on Sunday and the final race is due off at 3.25pm. Gates are open from 10.30am and tickets can be purchased now on corkracecourse.ie website. Children aged under 14 are admitted free when accompanied by an adult.

Shuttle bus

HOP on the free shuttle bus service which collects racegoers from Mallow train station and from the car park at the back of the Hibernian Hotel in Mallow town. See corkracecourse.ie for pick-up times.

Annual badges

LOOKING for a Christmas gift? An annual badge for Cork Racecourse in 2025 can be purchased through the corkracecourse.ie website.

The badge covers admission and a racecard for all Cork meetings next year and represents exceptional value.

Back next Friday

DON’T forget Cork Racecourse will stage a replacement fixture next Friday afternoon, December 13th. This fixture replaces the cancelled November 24th meeting.