Alex Hammond: Well done Dickie

Sky Sports News' Alex Hammond answers five questions in her latest blog and offers her thoughts on the Classic Chase at Warwick.

What did you make of the performance of Min at Punchestown - does he deserve to be so short for the Sky Bet Supreme?

Min looks a real star and readers of the blog last week will know my thoughts about him. It was great to see him live up to his lofty reputation on this step up in class and whilst the 6/4 available from Sky Bet for the opening race they sponsor at the festival doesn't appeal particularly, it might not be the worst bet you could have all week. The ground was very testing at Punchestown and he was also too keen, but despite that he showed he has a huge amount of ability by storming to victory, albeit against opposition you would expect him to beat comfortably; but he can do no more than that. The more experience he gets the better he will hopefully settle and the way the race is run at Cheltenham will help him. Like so many of these French imports, he jumps well and that also aids his cause. French horses are schooled over obstacles very early on in their careers and this has clearly benefited him.

There's already a lot of talk about the Willie Mullins four-timer on the opening day of the Cheltenham Festival - should the bookmakers be running scared of Min, Douvan, Faugheen and Annie Power?

Well as we know with horses you can have the strongest looking hand and something invariably goes wrong! Look at Annie Power in the Mares' Hurdle at the festival last year when she crashed out at the last when having the race at her mercy. Mullins is an outstanding trainer and there is the possibility that he could be champion trainer in the UK as well as at home in Ireland in the near future, but when you are talking about four specific horses, for four specific races it gets harder. It's 7/2 with Sky Bet for Mullins to saddle four or more winners on the Tuesday of the festival. Having said that, at the prices, the 7/1 on offer for Mullins to train the winner of the Sky Bet Supreme, Champion Hurdle (Faugheen), Arkle (Douvan) and Mares' Hurdle (with Annie Power or Vroum Vroum Mag) looks a more appealing bet.

In the UK last weekend's highlight was the victory of Mountainous in the Coral Welsh National - a great start to Kerry Lee's training career. Can he continue the fairtyale by running well in the Crabbie's Grand National?

Red Marauder was the last horse to win a National on bottomless ground back in 2001 and I doubt we will get those conditions at Aintree in April. Mountainous excels in very deep ground and we don't really get that very often at that time of year. It was great to see the old boy win the Chepstow race again though and what a result for Kerry Lee in her first season with the licence having taken over from her father Richard. The stable have always been good at keeping this type of horse sweet, but I can't see him winning the National and his price of 40/1 looks to be an accurate reflection of his chance.

Richard Johnson rode his 3000th winner over jumps at Ludlow - how highly do you rate the achievement and the jockey himself?

It's great that Richard Johnson is going to win a first championship this season and long overdue. He has been graceful in defeat for many years in the McCoy era and kept his head down and got on with the job as Sir Anthony changed the face of the sport. Dickie is well liked by everyone that comes across him and rightly so; he's a gentleman and modest too. 3000 winners is no mean feat for any jockey, let alone a jump jockey, where injury is prevalent and careers can be short. He's been consistently good, is strong and like many top professionals, he makes the least amount of mistakes. Not just content with the championship this season, he has apparently set himself the target of reaching AP's total of 231 from last season. That's the measure of the man that he wanted to prove himself capable of that sort of number, albeit once his great rival had hung up his boots.

The Betfred Classic Chase is the big betting race of the weekend - anything catch your eye?

Well, no surprises that it's incredibly open.

There are a couple of trainers with very strong hands. Alan King has Midnight Prayer and Sego Success at the head of the market. Midnight Prayer missed the rescheduled Welsh National as he was coughing. That was only a week ago so let's hope that's behind him now. That is the only doubt as he was very well fancied for the Chepstow marathon and he looks like a well handicapped horse. He won the 2014 NH Chase at the Cheltenham festival, but has only been seen twice on a racecourse since; he is now 4lbs lower in the weights than for his festival triumph. It remains to be seen whether he lines up on Saturday.

King's other market leader is Sego Success and he comes here off the back of a decent performance at Doncaster. He is a progressive staying chaser who has been helped by the application of cheekpieces. He gets an extra brownie point for being in the care of Alan King who has won this race twice in the past. However, there is very little evidence to suggest that heavy ground is exactly what he needs.

It's no surprise to see mudlover Houblon Des Obeaux has been supported for Venetia Williams who also has 2013 winner Rigadin De Beauchene amongst the entries again. The former hasn't won since December 2013, but as a result is now 6lb lower than he was for that win. He has some very good form to his name including a second place to Many Clouds in the Hennessy (off an 11lb higher mark) and second to Coneygree in a Grade 2 chase at Newbury. However, there is a 'but' and that is his fluency over a fence. He isn't the best jumper and that is often his undoing. Hopefully they will go at the sort of pace that gives him time to get himself organised. Rigadin De Beauchene is 11 years old now, but will love conditions on Saturday and gets on very well with jockey Robbie Dunne. He can't be called a prolific winner, but comes here in good form having won at Haydock last time out for which he has been raised 6lb. In doing so he put a string of moderate performances behind him and he seems back to his best, which puts him in contention here. Unlike his stablemate, jumping appears to be his forte.

Paul Nicholls has put his lean spell behind him and is firing in plenty of winners now. He saddles Vivaldi Collonges who got his season off to a winning start at Kelso for a first win over fences. He pulled up in the NH Chase, but has apparently needed time to grow up and he looks a nice staying chaser in the making. The ground should hold no fears for him and he is definitely on my short list.